Golden Dawn
by Amann0407
Summary: A mysterious race has arisen on the edge of the Milky Way. The Goa'uld Empire is concerned about it. The Tok'ra and Tauri are curious about it. But who are they and what do they want? All parts will be here, for reader convenience.
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes: **

**This is a story that is currently being revised. I intend to do the first 15-20 chapters at least and probably some minor edits in the later chapters just to add to the story and the detail, as well as fix some other issues with my writing. This is my first fanfic I have written, so keep that in mind when I wrote it, my writing wasn't as good as it is now.**

**Currently revised up till chapter 4. Later revisions will include the chapter itself showing at the top "CHAPTER REVISED", just to show the progress of my revisions as I also continue the story until it's end. **

**Golden Dawn is the first of a 3 book trilogy. The titles are in order.**

**1) Golden Dawn  
2) Bleak Twilight  
3) Polar Sun (Title not final)**

**The trilogy is going to be in this same story, just the titles at the top will change to show where one story ends and another begins. Chapter 47 is the start of Bleak Twilight. **

* * *

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

**

* * *

**

_It is a dark time for the Alteran Empire. The Empire has split into 2 factions. The Ori who want to control their newly ascended power for use to portray themselves as Gods, and the Ancients who wish to use their power to seek out knowledge and to not interfere with the lower plane of existence. A brief civil war ensured, but the Ancients left their home galaxy so as to cause no loss of life. Then, about 12,000 years before the start of the Wraith-Lantean war, a captain by the name of Amann Adar felt that the Ori were a big threat and argued for the militarization of the entire Lantean Empire. He felt the threat of the Ori could not be ignored. The Ancients refused. Amann was then exiled for his beliefs and cast onto another world._

_So this small group took a world for their own and broke away from the Ancients to form their own confederacy. Their homeworld was located on the very edge of the Milky Way galaxy. The world was called Alesia. There they began to learn the art of war so as to go back and conquer the Ori. 20,000 years have passed since the newly formed Alesian Empire was founded. The second evolution of humans has started on the planet known as Earth. The United States military has found one of the Ancient Stargates used to transport people across the stars. The Goa'uld have arisen as a galactic power and now controls more than 2/3rd of the Milky Way. But on the outermost 1/3rd of the galaxy, the mysterious Alesians seem to be expanding slowly over the course of thousands of years. Fearful whispers abound among the Goa'uld System Lords about the Alesians and what their agenda is. The way must be cleared for the battle between Goa'uld and Alesian._

_

* * *

_

**Milky Way Galaxy: Core World**

**Goa'uld Empire: Domain of Ba'al / Del'mac Sector / Del'mac**

**Alesian-Anubis War: Month 0**

**Day -5 15:10:26**

On the world of Del'mac, the Goa'uld System Lord Ba'al stared smugly over the fleet of powerful Ha'tak vessels that sat on the ground awaiting deployment. He ruled a sizable chunk of the Goa'uld domain and that made him one of the bigger players in their feudal empire. His First Prime walked in and bowed before his master. Ba'al's eyes glowed for a second and then he spoke in a deep voice.

"Speak"

"My Lord, I bring word of our victory over Lord Yu. The planet is now under your control."

"Excellent. You will be rewarded for this."

"I live to serve you, my Lord."

Ba'al smirked in satisfaction and then he moved to sit on his throne.

"What has our scoutship found out about these so called 'Alesians'?"

"The Tel'tac reported that they entered the designated system. We have lost contact with the ship since that report."

"That would seem to indicate that the Alesians shot the ship down despite the cloaking device."

"It would appear so."

"Ready my Ha'tak. I will convene with the other System Lords as has been agreed. Perhaps these Alesians are the ones responsible for these recent attacks on the System Lord fleets."

"At once, my Lord"

Ba'al got up from his throne and moved to the ring platform where he ringed to his flagship. The Ha'tak then left orbit and made its way to the space station where the System Lords were convening.

* * *

_7 hours later…_

The mushroom shaped space station where the System Lords meet already housed 6 of the major System Lords. A flash was seen as Ba'al's Ha'tak exited hyperspace near the station. He ringed into the council chamber and took his place. He looked around and noted the 6 other major System Lords in the room. Lord Yu was present as well as Kali, Olokun, Morrigan, Bastet, and Svarog. He waited as Lord Yu arose to speak.

"Welcome Ba'al. You know why this meeting has convened."

Ba'al gave a slight smile.

"Indeed Yu. We are here to talk about these mysterious attacks that all of us here have suffered. In each case, only ships have attacked, never with ground troops. Only ships have attacked and wiped out most of the conquered planets. We must determine who is responsible for these attacks, for this enemy seems most powerful. "

Yu gave a small nod and then looked around.

"Has anyone found out who these ships belong to?"

Kali then spoke.

"I am not sure. The reports I received from my colony in the Nepitus System was vague, but they were reported to be Ha'tak vessels. It is possible these Alesians are responsible, but attempts to penetrate their territory have been met with fierce resistance. So far, the reported configuration of their ships does not match, though we have very little information. They may have a number of captured Ha'taks, but that is not solid evidence. I have speculated that these Alesians might be descended from the race who built the Stargates."

Olokun interrupted.

"How likely is it that this race is responsible for the attacks we have suffered? Is it possible we are facing another enemy? Perhaps an unnamed Goa'uld? I think that these Alesians, whoever they are, are not the ones responsible. For thousands of years, we have heard of this power on the very edge of the galaxy, yet they have barely advanced their territory since then. It seems uncharacteristic of them to attack this aggressively now."

Yu growled.

"Perhaps, but there is another Goa'uld that is arriving on the station in a few moments. Perhaps she may know who is carrying out these attacks. "

Ba'al inclined his head and put his hands together.

"Maybe she is the one behind the attacks? It is a possibility we should consider."

Yu's face softened as he glanced at Ba'al.

"Agreed. But we cannot discount these Alesians. If they are descendants of the Ancients, then they possess far superior technology and are a major threat to us. I suggest we guard against them as well."

Just then, a Jaffa entered the chamber and spoke in a clear voice.

"My Lords, the guest has just arrived."

Behind the Jaffa, Lord Osiris entered the room. Her eyes scanned all of the System Lords before she spoke with a vicious grin.

"I hope I am not interrupting anything important. I think you will find I have much to offer. Shall we begin? "

In the corner behind Yu, Daniel Jackson started to feel uncomfortable as her eyes were trained on him.


	2. Summit

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 2: The Summit**

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Core World Region**

**Goa'uld Empire: Neutral Domain/ Hatteras Sector / Hatteras Space Station**

**Alesian-Anubis War: Month 0**

**Day -4 1:12:26**

Daniel Jackson waited for Osiris to reveal him to the System Lords, but she did not do so. She merely looked at him in recognition and then continued with her speech.

"But what I offer to the System Lords I do not do alone, for I merely speak for another."

Lord Yu glared in suspicion from his chair.

"Whom do you serve?"

Osiris smirked as she gave the answer.

"Anubis."

The other Goa'uld in the room burst out in fury.

"What?"

"You are lying!"

Lord Yu raised his hands for decorum before he spoke in anger.

"He is dead!"

Osiris smiled even wider.

"That was what you assumed after you attempted to murder him. During Anubis's long exile of 1000 years, he learned humility. He merely wants his place among the System Lords regained. The attacks on your fleet were intended to gain your attention. We are threatened by external forces. Shall we merely sit by and allow the Asgard to dictate what planets we can and cannot rule? Should we allow the insolence of the Tauri go unpunished? And what of this race called Alesians on the very edge of the galaxy? What agenda they have is surely not for our benefit. And we are threatened by subversion within. The Tok'ra gain strength daily from their spy networks in our midst. My master has plans to deal with all of these threats. All you have to do is accept him back."

Osiris glared at Daniel Jackson before sitting down. Lord Yu spoke next.

"The promises made here are indeed ambitious, but we cannot attack the Tauri as of yet, the treaty with the Asgard protects their planet. I would suggest we deal with these Alesians. Attempts to gain information have met with little success. Their gate systems seem to use some sort of code to stop intruders. Ships entering their space get shot down. We only know of a few of their closer border worlds since they were taken from the Goa'uld domain. Their ships are formidable. How do you propose we defeat them?"

Osiris merely chuckled.

"My master has recently gained new technologies that show potential at matching the technological gap. He will test these new weapons by sending a small fleet across their border. We will then see if the upgrades are enough. A few Ha'taks and some Jaffa mean little in the grand scheme of things."

Ba'al interrupted.

"And what of the Tok'ra? Should we sit by and allow their spying to go unpunished?"

A moment passed in silence. Then, Osiris stood back up.

"The Tok'ra rebellion has long been a thorn in our side. They have always represented a threat. A threat that is being lessened as we speak. Today will henceforth be named as the day the blood of the Tok'ra ran free and their rebellion ended."

Lord Yu then arose to speak.

"The System Lords will consider allowing Anubis back into the fold. In the meantime, I suggest we adjorn."

The System Lords then ringed in the symbiote tank that was prepared for them. Each one of them picked up a symbiote and bit them in half, eating some of it.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Core World Region**

**Goa'uld Empire: Neutral Domain/ Hatteras Sector / Hatteras Space Station**

**Alesian-Anubis War: Month 0**

**Day -4 3:45:26**

Daniel Jackson walked along one of the corridors on the space station and pulled out a Tok'ra communication device.

"Jacob, this is Daniel."

"Go ahead."

"We have a new problem. We cannot release the poison since it turns out the new guest is Orisis and she is representing a Goa'uld named Anubis."

"Anubis? But he has been dead for a thousand years."

"Well he is alive and well it would seem. If we kill the Goa'uld now, we only pave the way for Anubis to gain power. I suggest aborting the mission. But I would like to capture Osiris if I can, so you can remove Osiris from Sarah."

"I would agree. However, I advise caution in your plan."

Daniel looked around before speaking into the device again.

"There is another concern the System Lords seem to be having regarding the Alesians. We have heard of them before, but what do we know about them?"

There was silence for a few moments before Selmak spoke.

"We know very little about this race, only that they are isolationalist and extremely powerful. The Goa'uld do not want to antagonize them from this position, yet they have been trying to gain intelligence on them recently. For what purpose we do not know, but it can mean nothing good for us, certainly not for the Alesians."

Daniel made to move for Lord Yu's quarters. Once inside, he made sure he was alone and then spoke back into the device.

"Can this race be a potential ally?"

"Unknown at this time, Dr. Jackson. For all we know, they might consider us enemies just as easily as friends. They seem to be descended from Ancients or maybe even a faction of Ancients themselves, but their isolationalist posture and their warlike stance does not suggest they are of the same philosophy. It will have to be discussed when you are off the station."

"Yeah that may be a problem. I am sure Osiris recognized me. Why she did not give me up I do not know why."

The door behind Daniel Jackson was activated and he hastily hid the device as Osiris walked into the room. She smirked as she saw him.

"Daniel Jackson. You're a rather long way from home aren't you?"

The door closed behind her with a deciding thump.


	3. Last Stand

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 3: Last Stand**

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Core World Region**

**Goa'uld Empire: Neutral Domain/ Hatteras Sector / Hatteras Space Station**

**Alesian-Anubis War: Month 0**

**Day -4 3:47:23**

There was a screeching sound as Osiris drew a knife.

"What are you doing here?"

Daniel backed away slowly

"Oh nothing, nothing at the moment. Why? You want to do something?"

Orisis walked toward Daniel.

"Hmmmmm insolence. Tell me what subversions are you up to."

Osiris grabbed Daniel by the throat and held the knife near his head.

"Tell me or I will bleed you dry!"

Daniel grabbed her hand and poked her with the drug in his ring. She looked around in confusion and saw someone completely different in front of her, losing her memory of Daniel Jackson being on board. Daniel then spoke.

"May I help you?"

"Who are you?"

"I am Lord Yu's servant. These are my master's quarters. You must have the wrong room. I know, I've gotten lost in these corridors myself."

Orisis looked around and then put her knife away and began to walk out of the room. The door opened automatically for her. As she made her way out, Daniel spoke again.

"If you don't mind my asking, I thought weapons were forbidden at the conference."

Orisis turned around in anger.

"If you speak of it again, I promise that they will be your last words."

Daniel bowed his head in submission and the door closed behind Osiris. He pulled his communicator out again.

"Jacob, this is Daniel."

"Go ahead."

"Osiris just cornered me. But I managed to poke her with the drug we used on Lord Yu."

"Are you going to proceed with your plan?"

"I don't have much of a choice. I will trap her in a cargo ship and fly out to meet you. I hope we can get to the Tok'ra homeworld in time."

"Understood Daniel."

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Core World Region**

**Goa'uld Empire: Neutral Domain/ Hatteras Sector / Hatteras Space Station**

**Alesian-Anubis War: Month 0**

**Day -4 8:07:48**

The System Lords were once more convened in the council chamber. Daniel was pouring Lord Yu idly wondering over the events after Osiris's visit to Lord Yu last night. He wondered how Anubis would destroy Earth and if it was merely a boast or an actual threat. He listened as the Lotar called a vote.

"Who would allow Anubis back into the System Lords?"

All of the System Lords but Yu nodded. Lord Yu shook his head in a firm no. The Lotar cleared his voice.

"The vote need not be unanimous. We now welcome Anubis back into the ranks of the System Lords"

Daniel thought hard and was not sure what that would mean for Earth. Little did he know that he wasn't the only one thinking hard about his homeworld.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Core World Region**

**Goa'uld Empire: Neutral Domain/ Hatteras Sector / Hatteras Space Station**

**Alesian-Anubis War: Month 0**

**Day -4 10:19:48**

Daniel was on the cargo ship readying his trap as he sent a transmission to Orisis to meet Lord Yu in the ship itself. He got down behind the central console and waited for her to appear.

Ba'als lotar walked along the corridors where he encountered Lord Yu. Yu made to pass by him without comment until he spoke.

"My Lord. May I speak for a moment?"

Lord Yu turned around and looked at the slave. The Lotar faltered and then spoke again.

"I am Lord Ba'al's servant and I am loyal to him. So you might not want to take my word for it, but I believe that your new Lotar cannot be trusted."

Lord Yu stared and then turned around heading back to his quarters. The Lotar then smiled as he turned the corner. His mission was complete. He had the information the Alesian High Command desired. Now it was time to fake his death and return home in the cloaked jumper waiting in orbit over Del'mac. He wondered idly who the Lotar really was, but he suspected it was a Tok'ra posing as a human. They were useful, and it would provide a distraction while he completed his secondary objectives and escaped.

Daniel heard footsteps and saw the familiar shadow of Osiris against the wall. He waited with bated breath as she looked around, then the shadow moved off into the back compartment. He darted out as she entered it and sealed her in. Osiris ran and banged on the door. Daniel sighed with relief and made to turn around just as Lord Yu entered and punched Daniel across the room. Yu glared in fury for a moment and then he made to open the door. His eyes widened in shock as she stabbed him with the knife she had hidden. Daniel took his chance and ran to one of the escape pods. With a hiss, the pod shut and was ejected away from the station as Osiris screamed in fury. A minute later, Jacob's scout ship ringed the pod aboard and managed to free Daniel from the pod.

"Daniel it is good to see you."

"Likewise, we must get to Revanna. The Goa'uld may have the Tok'ra's location."

The Tel'tac entered hyperspace at its maximum speed toward the Tok'ra base.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Core World Region**

**Goa'uld Empire: Tok'ra Home Base/ Cet'lec Sector / Revanna**

**Alesian-Anubis War: Month 0**

**Day -4 15:11:59**

Colonel O'Neill, along with the rest of his team, was with a few of the surviving Tok'ra that were running from the massive Jaffa army now landed on Revanna. All hope of escape via the Stargate was not possible. He observed with the binoculars the columns of Jaffa marching from the Al'kesh and landing ships. The massed formations were guarding the gate, as he could tell from his position 5 miles away. He looked around for more options.

"Carter, we need to think of a plan B."

"Well sir, with the signal we used from the Tok'ra beacon, Dad will be returning hopefully to pick us up. The only other alternative is to keep running until they withdraw their forces from the ground."

Teal'c then spoke.

"The Jaffa will not withdraw O'Neill. They will more than likely hold their position, for they seek the poison. We cannot allow them to give it up."

"Then let us hope Plan A works. Better than Plan F, as in totally."

The rest of the team just looked at each other in exasperation.

Daniel and Jacob sat in silence as they approached Revanna. The sensors chirped as they exited hyperspace and they cloaked.

"Daniel, there is a fleet of Goa'uld Ha'taks in orbit. There is a Tok'ra distress beacon asking for help. It is giving off Colonel O'Neill's personal code."

"This can't be good. We need to pick them up and get out of here."

"Agreed, the cloak will shield us from detection."

The cargo ship moved into the atmosphere. A lurch was heard as the ship was hit. Daniel looked in surprise.

"What was that?"

"Death Gliders. They must have detected our signature in the atmosphere. We will have to try to outrun them."

The ship tried evasive maneuvers as the gliders locked onto the ship. The first few shots disabled the cloaking device as the ship plummeted toward the surface. Fire and smoke streamed from the ship as it roared over the stranded survivors and crashed nearby. Carter looked at O'Neill and spoke.

"Sir, I recommend we go to the crash site and see if Daniel and Jacob made it out ok before the Jaffa swarm over them."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's go."

SG-1 moved out along with the 3-4 Tok'ra survivors carrying the body of Lantesh's new host. They made it to the site in a few minutes to find Jacob and Daniel bruised and banged up but otherwise ok. O'Neill ran forward.

"Jacob, looks like you made it in one piece."

"Yeah, but the gliders definitely made our position. We need to move, and quickly."

O'Neill nodded as the team slunk back into the forest.

* * *

_In orbit..._

Zipacna sat on his throne on the bridge as reports from the surface came in. The Tok'ra put up a brave fight but were slaughtered. A Jaffa came in and knelt before his master.

"Speak."

"My Lord, most of the Tok'ra have been killed. We are still looking for survivors."

"They hide in their tunnels like rats. Has the weapon been found yet?"

"I regret to say that we are still searching for it."

"Then join the search yourself. If you do not find it, then do not bother to return."

"Understood my Lord."

The Jaffa made to leave as sensors chirped in alarm. Zipacna addressed the Jaffa at the console.

"What is it?"

"Scanners have detected 5 unknown ships approaching the planet. Their weapons are armed."

"Fire at these intruders who would dare to defy their god."

The fleet of 8 Ha'taks fired their plasma weapons at the new arrivals. 4 of the ships made to protect the 5th ship, which was bulkier than the others. Suddenly, 7 lances of blue light streaked toward the Ha'taks, one for each ship. The orange shields held for a second, then failed as the ships were destroyed. Furious, Zipacna ordered a retreat from the planet as his lone flagship entered hyperspace. The new ships established a geosynchronous orbit over the stargate and one ship launched a ball of light at the stargate.

Colonel O'Neill was observing the Jaffa garrison as he noticed a ball of light dropping down. He frowned as he observed from 5 miles away that it was glowing brighter and brighter. He couldn't stand to look at it, which was lucky for him as the ball detonated above the Stargate. The shockwave threw him to the ground and stunned him senseless. He laid there for a few moments as he stared at the sky, then shakily got up and pointed his binoculars at the Stargate. What he saw astonished him.

No Jaffa near the Stargate was alive. He stared for a moment, then went back and ordered the survivors to move toward the gate as fast as possible, for the opportunity to escape may not come again.


	4. A Shot In the Dark

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 4: A Shot in the Dark**

**

* * *

**

**Milky Way Galaxy: Core World Region**

**Goa'uld Empire: Tok'ra Home Base/ Cet'lec Sector / Revanna**

**Alesian-Anubis War: Month 0**

**Day -4 16:21:51**

Colonel O'Neill looked around as his team dialed the SGC. A whooshing sound was heard as the Stargate was activated. He shouted out to the party.

"Alright people, lets move it out."

A shadow fell over the area and O'Neill looked up. A massive ship was descending on the area near the Stargate with its 4 escorts. It was not graceful like its battleship escorts, looking like an oversized cargo ship. Smaller fighter craft whooshed overhead as O'Neill stepped back through the Stargate to reemerge in Stargate Command. General Hammond was waiting for the group as the Stargate deactivated behind him.

"Welcome back, Colonel."

"Thank you sir. It was difficult getting back to the gate. Jaffa were all over the place looking for us. Then from the looks of things, some weapon was activated over the area and killed the Jaffa near the Stargate. We barely made it out of there before ships of unknown design were landing near the gate."

Daniel spoke up as he gripped the long cut he received on his arm.

"General, I believe that the new ships were of a race called Alesians. I think we should debrief immediately."

"Agreed, get cleaned up. We will meet in the briefing room in 10 minutes."

General Hammond walked back to his office and waited for the team to arrive. He wondered what sort of debriefing session he was in for as he heard the team and the Tok'ra survivors arrive. He stepped out to meet them at the briefing table.

"Please give me a report of what happened on your mission."

While O'Neill and Daniel began explaining what they saw, Hammond thought hard as the information was relayed to them. This new race seemed to be a good potential ally, but such a race would also be dangerous since it might not see them as allies. He waited for them to finish and then asked another question.

"What do we know of the Alesians? They have been mentioned before, but we don't even know who they are."

Lantesh now spoke up.

"We know little about their race, except they seem to possess far superior technology to that of the Goa'uld. They also seem to be warlike and isolationalist. They allow no one in their territory and since none of the Goa'uld ships can penetrate their space, no one knows how their inner domains are laid out. They seem to rule a little less than a third of the Milky Way galaxy, but they only rule the outermost 1/3rd, where planet placement is likely to be much scarcer and its a lot less in terms of resources than the inner 2/3rd's where the Goa'uld rule. But a few worlds have been taken by this race, for what purpose we are not sure."

Daniel spoke.

"Why would these Alesians come to our aid? Could they have known that the Tok'ra were there and decided to show up to save us?"

Lantesh shook his head.

"It is not likely Daniel Jackson. I am not sure why they were there. However, I might have a theory. Please provide me a map of the Milky Way galaxy."

He awaited as a screen was brought up and activated to show a large map. He pointed at a point near the edge of the galaxy.

"There, that is Revanna. That is the position of the planet. Right near suspected Alesian territory. The ship that we saw descending was unlike the sleek warships hovering overhead. It might be worth sending one of your UAV drones to scout the area and see what they are doing."

Hammond nodded.

"Agreed. The UAV will be prepped immediately. Let's get down to the control room."

They all went down one level to get to the control room. Orders were given as technicians scrambled to set up the drone launcher. The UAV was placed on the launch platform as the crew worked fast. Siler stepped back from the UAV and gave the thumbs up. Hammond nodded in acknowledgement.

"Dial the Stargate to Revanna. Prepare to launch UAV."

The gate spun up and the chevrons began to light up. The gate opened with a _kawoosh_ and the UAV was launched into the event horizon of the Stargate. Carter leaned forward over the computer and started to report.

"The UAV is through the gate. Looks like the ships we saw earlier is still there, based off their energy signatures. Video feed coming in…..now."

Everyone leaned forward as the viewer switched on. The bulky ship was a few miles away from the Stargate, having landed near it. It was deploying what appeared to be machinery. The UAV buzzed over the settlement and got a good look at what they were building. Daniel spoke first.

"Sam, if I am not mistaken, they are constructing buildings. It appears to be a settlement."

Carter nodded.

"So that ship is…"

"A colony ship."

Carter blinked and began to report on more sensor readings.

"There appears to be a number of salvageable craft near the Stargate. Some of the Al'kesh we passed are still where they originally landed. It might be worth sneaking in to take one or 2 of them. That could be a potential asset, sir. If these are Alesians, they are leaving the gate unguarded and also the Al'kesh as well. Plus, we need to find more information on this settlement and the Alesians themselves. That way we can then attempt diplomatic contact knowing what we are dealing with."

O'Neill interrupted as he pointed toward the screen.

"Carter what is that?"

The camera was adjusted as figures appeared out of the ground not far from the settlement. The camera zoomed in.

"Jaffa sir. They must have been in the Tok'ra tunnels when the Alesians attacked. Looks to be about battalion strength. They are making a run for the Al'kesh. Looks like the Alesians have seen them. I can see some soldiers running out to meet them."

They watched as white armored soldiers ran out, about a company and attacked the Jaffa battalion. Shots were exchanged, both Jaffa blasts and bluish energy weapons from the Alesians. The Jaffa fire seemed to have little or no effect as the fire was absorbed into either personal shields or their armor. The Alesian fire, however, was deadly. In a matter of moments, the badly outnumbered Alesian company had wiped out the Jaffa battalion. The Alesian soldiers walked along the bodies, checking for signs of life. A few Jaffa had survived, having been picked up and carried back into the complex. The dead disappeared in a white flash as a teleport beam swept the field and transported them. Everyone was struck at the results of the battle. O'Neill spoke up first.

"Sir, I recommend we go back to the gate and observe the Alesians. They can be a potential ally to us, but we need to know more about their agenda before we can consider allying with them. I recommend we go in at night for easier concealment. They also appear to have a beaming system much like the Asgard….teleporter-things. Basically sir, they seem to have a lot of cool toys."

Hammond nodded.

"Your mission is a go. Meet in the gateroom at 1400. Dismissed. I will consult with the President."

Hammond turned to walk out of the control room to head to his office. He had work to do.

* * *

_Later on in the gateroom…_

The team was gathered along with Lantesh in the gateroom. The gate was already active. Hammond picked up the microphone and spoke into it.

"SG-1, you have a go."

"Thank you, sir. SG-1 move out."

The team walked into the event horizon and stepped into Rivanna. It was nighttime and they quickly moved away from the gate, which was still unguarded. They made for the hill overlooking the Alesian complex. O'Neill squinted into his binoculars and watched the arrivals. They appeared very busy with construction. It appeared they didn't detect the team moving through the gate.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Core World Region**

**Alesian Empire: Former Tok'ra Home Base/ Cet'lec Sector / Revanna**

**Alesian-Anubis War: Month 0**

**Day -4 23:54:04**

A white robed man was on the balcony of one of the recently constructed towers. He watched the construction of the budding colony with disinterest. A soldier walked up behind him in white armor and saluted. He did not turn toward her.

"Speak, Legate Renate."

Renate spoke crisply as her long, dark hair blew in the wind, her pale features composed in thought.

"Governor Aldaras, the _Astriaporta_ was activated. 5 lifesigns were detected on long range sensors. 3 humans, a Jaffa, and a Goa'uld."

"Are they the ones who sent the primitive probe?"

Renate nodded.

"It appears that way. I am curious as to why they are here?"

"Your report suggests that there was a Tok'ra base that was recently here. It appears the Goa'uld wiped it out just before they arrived. It is logical to assume that they are allies of the Tok'ra. I trust our new guests are under observation?"

Renate walked over to Aldaras and stood next to him.

"Indeed, we dispatched 4 of the gate guards to closely observe and follow. Our sensors are also monitoring their every movement."

"I want reports on them updated every half hour. What of the analysis of their probe?"

Renate gave a small laugh.

"Primitive. It is powered by a chemical fired engine. It contains several observation systems. We think it is a vehicle they deploy to find out more information. Shall we eliminate the intruders? You know it is standard Empire policy to eliminate unauthorized intruders."

The governor thought for a moment.

"Not yet, Capture them. Let's find out why they are really here first. What is their current location?"

Renate was surprised at the answer

"They are on a hill watching this facility. But Governor….this action contradicts Alesian Imperative 28. No unauthorized intruders into our territory or space. Trespassers will be killed unless authorized otherwise by the High Council or Alesian High Command. However, this can be nullified by a senior government official on the scene and reviewed by the High Council. Do you authorize the nullification?"

Aldaras turned toward her and spoke quietly.

"I authorize the nullification of Alesian Imperative 28. I will explain in my report to the High Council the reasons for said action. We might be able to gain either an ally or even a new world for us to willfully assimilate into the Alesian Empire. These humans and the Tok'ra,….they are observing us. They want to know more about us. They are of little threat and we can eliminate them at our leisure if necessary. But I think that it is better to take them alive for questioning."

Aldaras raised his hand as Renate began to speak.

"But sir…"

"That is enough, Legate. You are a respected officer, but the decision and responsibility are both mine. The military might have prominence, but I am the legal authority on this world regarding civil matters. Now, what news from our fleet in orbit?"

Renate sighed in resignation.

"The fleet is cloaked and awaiting orders. So far the Goa'uld have not challenged our presence here since we destroyed their fleet over this world."

Aldaras smiled at that.

"Then our position is secure for now. You may capture this team. Stun only. Do not kill."

Renate nodded.

"It will be done. However, I must warn you that my Legion is due to return to Berian soon. A replacement Legion is on the way to relieve mine, along with several detachments of Militia. They will be here in a week, since they are in the middle of a war exercise. After this, they will have to perform needed maintenance. But they will arrive."

Aldaras tapped the railing as he looked out at the disk that was the Milky Way.

"Very well. You will be here until you are relieved, I trust?"

Renate nodded.

"Affirmative. In the meantime, I will order our forces to close in on the soldiers. For Alesia."

"For Alesia. Dismissed Legate."

The white armored officer departed the room as the dark-haired governor looked up at the night. He shrugged and went back inside to catch up on administrative work. Work waited for no man nor Alesian. Plus, the High Council would want to be informed.

* * *

_On the hill…_

Daniel was standing in the back of the group when he heard a branch snap behind him. He looked around at the apparently empty forest around him and turned back around. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he got the feeling he was being watched. He walked forward toward O'Neill and knelt beside him.

"Jack, I get the feeling we are being watched."

"Relax Daniel, I don't think they know we are here."

"I'm not so sure. Why would they leave the gate unguarded?"

A voice spoke from behind them.

"We didn't leave the gate unguarded. _Resisto_!"

The team turned around as about 20 white armored soldiers shimmered into view. They immediately pointed weapons at the team as the unit leader spoke.

"In the name of the Alesian Empire, you are ordered to surrender. Obey!"

O'Neill looked at his team and spoke.

"And if we do not?"

The Alesian spoke coldly.

"Our orders are to take you alive. You can come willingly or we will simply take your prisoner anyway. You are outnumbered 4 to 1, and your technology is far inferior to our own. You have absolutely no chance of escape. Your choice, human."

O'Neill sighed as he unstrapped his P90 and laid it on the ground. The rest of the team did the same as the white armored soldiers closed in and confiscated their weapons. The Alesian spoke into the headset.

"Centurion Valerian to Legate Renate. I have the prisoners in custody. Returning to base."

The headset activated as Renate's smooth voice echoed in reply.

"Very good Centurion. The Governor will see them immediately."

The Centurion nodded.

"Understood. It will be done at once."

He gestured to the prisoners.

"Move. You have been summoned by the Governor of this world."

SG-1 walked along in silence as they were formed into a column and marched to the settlement. The blue lights shone in the night as buildings were rapidly being assembled. They headed toward a large door that bore a large gold eagle superimposed in the arch above the doorway. O'Neill winced as he looked at it. He leaned in toward Daniel.

"Daniel, I hate to ask, but why does that eagle resemble the Nazi one?"

Daniel frowned as he passed under it.

"It looks more like the Roman aquilla, and it is more likely since Alesia was the name of an important Gaul city in the Roman Empire. I wonder if these Alesians were once on Earth. It is a very distinct possibility given that we know that at least some Ancients influenced the Romans. The Alesians could have as well."

The Alesians halted in their column as they went through the white hallways to the control room of the tower. Soldiers and technicians appeared busy manning the terminals, giving orders as supervision of the construction was carried out. A minute later, a dark haired woman entered the room, her pale features were as cold as ice as she turned toward the team with a swirl of her cape. Her armor was slightly different than the standard Legionnaire, since her armor was decorated with the Alesian Eagle and inlaid with gold. She spoke first.

"At ease, Centurion. You may return to your post."

The Centurion saluted.

"Yes, ma'am."

The Alesian Legionnaires left as Renate surveyed the P90 taken from O'Neill.

"A primitive, but highly efficient weapon. Personal scanners confirm a crude projectile weapon. Effective range is calculated to be roughly the same as an Alesian wrist blaster. Rate of fire is inferior, but effective design of weapon is superior to many weapons carried by races such as the Goa'uld or Tok'ra. A decent weapon for such a fairly primitive race, which suggests a warlike footing similar to our own Empire. Interesting."

Renate turned the weapon and presented O'Neill with it.

"You may retain your weapons. Threat level is low."

O'Neill took the weapon as he spoke sardonically.

"You know, we prefer the term 'less advanced'."

Renate smiled grimly.

"To us, your race is like children to our own. We are the end product of millions of years of evolution, and we are the continuation of our species. You are the second evolution of the Ancients, although of a philosophy much like our own. I am Legate Renate Lenae of the Alesian 82nd Legion, known as the Valkyries. What is your name?"

O'Neill strapped the P90 to his side.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill, commander of SG-1. Known as the 'who's your daddy" team."

Renate frowned slightly before chuckling at that.

"You mock us, an elite Legion of Alesia. This is…refreshing. Very good."

O'Neill smiled thinly.

"You should know, of course we dare mock you. It makes the job more fun."

Renate smiled back.

"We have heard of SG-1 among the Goa'uld. If half of the rumors are to be believed, then you are more formidable than your appearance and technology suggests. So you are of the Tauri...from Terra. The old Ancient homeworld before the plague. The High Council will be made aware of this."

Renate turned as Governor Aldaras entered the room.

"Governor Aldaras. The intruders from Terra are brought before you."

"Excellent. From Terra you say? Very interesting…"

Renate smiled.

"I thought it would get your attention. I suggest that the High Council be informed immediately."

Aldaras adjusted his simple white robe.

"I will speak to the High Council about Imperative 28 immediately. In the meantime, you may give our….guests an escorted tour of all public areas."

Renate nodded.

"Anything level 4 and above will be secured. I will bring them back in…one standard hour?"

Aldaras thought about it for a moment.

"That will be enough time for me to contact the Council and explain the situation. Very well, bring them to conference room 2 in one hour."

Renate nodded and gestured to another dark haired female.

"Commander Valana, give the Terrans a tour of the public facilities."

Valana nodded as she walked away with the team. Renate frowned.

"Governor, why are we giving these Terrans a tour of the complex? I am uneasy letting them so much as tour a public area. What is routine technology to us can easily be exploited by a lesser advanced race."

Aldaras smiled.

"Impressions matter during first contact. They will be escorted and supervised. I want them to see and be impressed by what we have constructed in such a short time. A potential ally or member world must be impressed by us in order to see the wisdom in accepting any offer that the High Council puts forward. It also shows the futility of refusing an offer. What they will respect they will also fear. We must show strength while portraying our image as a benevolent Empire. This allows us to make friends and absorb member worlds while deterring potential enemies from becoming enemies."

Renate looked at Aldaras.

"That is bold, and possibly overstepping your authority."

Aldaras laughed slightly.

"I was once on the Lower Council, you know. I know how both the Lower Council and the High Council think and how they operate. They will agree with my decision."

Renate nodded slightly.

"Very well."


	5. Blazing Dawn

**CHAPTER REVISED**

* * *

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 5: Blazing Dawn**

**

* * *

**

**Milky Way Galaxy: Core World Region**

**Alesian Empire: Former Tok'ra Home Base/ Cet'lec Sector / Revanna**

**Alesian-Anubis War: Month 0**

**Day -3 04:11:03**

Governor Aldaras sat down behind his desk and activated the comm link on his terminal by pressing his hand on the terminal. A male voice spoke.

"This terminal is restricted to level 2 security clearance. DNA scan running...complete. Welcome back, Governor Aldaras. How may I serve the Empire?"

Aldaras cleared his throat and spoke.

"I would like you to open up a comm link to the High Council on Alesia. Authorization code Alderas-Five- Five-Two-Zero-Alpha-Omega."

"Code recognized. Contacting the NABIS network. She will be with you in a moment."

Aldaras waited patiently as the data was processed on the screen in front of him. Ancient characters flashed across the screen as a hologram appeared in front of him. The young woman spoke to Aldaras.

"NABIS network online. Governor Aldaras, it is good to see you again."

Aldaras smiled.

"Likewise, NABIS. I have a message to deliver to the High Council. Priority...Immediate."

NABIS frowned.

"Not Urgent?"

"No. This is not a Empire threatening matter, but this could be quite interesting. Please get me online with them as soon as possible."

NABIS paused as she looked up for a second.

"Yes...I have High Councilor Lucia Adar online now. Transmitting."

The hologram shifted to the side as the screen opened to reveal a young, dark haired woman in a a white robe. Her pale features shone with intelligence as she leaned back in her seat. She gave a small smile, even though she did look a little tired.

"Governor Aldaras. I was told you had an Immediate message for me. I assume that this is important enough to contact us directly instead of Administration. But I digress. What can I do for you, Governor?"

Aldaras gave a small nod.

"Hello, High Councilor. It is good to see you again, although you do seem rather tired."

Lucia shrugged.

"Long work days. Running the Empire is no easy task, even with help. We do have thousands of worlds in the Empire, and we get millions of reports a day**. **Most of those go to the Lower Councilor of those worlds, but we get to see alot of reports as well. So what do you have for me?"

Aldaras picked up a pad and typed in it quickly.

"I am sending you a copied report now. It should be sent by now."

Lucia narrowed her eyes as she typed something on her terminal. She read on for a few moments and looked up in surprise.

"A violation of Imperative 28? Humans from Terra? That is pretty serious. You know Empire policy. But violation was justified in this instance. We have heard little from the Terrans since we landed a small advisory party on Earth roughly 2,000 years ago. We were trying to prepare them for assimilation into the Empire, before the Asgard stepped in. It seems that our philosophy stuck in them however..."

Aldaras cut her off politely.

"I am well aware of history, Councilor. The Asgard never did like us."

Lucia nodded slowly, slightly annoyed at his interruption. She shrugged it off since it was not important.

"No they do not. They see us as too aggressive. Hence the Asgard-Alesian war that occurred nine thousand years ago, before the treaty was signed. A small mistake, since it limited our rate of expansion to a crawl. It got us peace however, since we were losing despite our massive technological and physical prowess. And we are in not really a hurry to build. It even suits our purpose, allowing us to consolidate worlds without conquering them and encouraging resistance movements. The Empire is stable. And it was done with less resources and far more efficiently than outright conquering. So we now have an opportunity to willfully invite the Terrans into our Empire...or at the very least ally with them."

Aldaras smiled at that.

"Yes. And the Asgard can do nothing about it. They are powerful, but they cannot step in regarding the treaty since it does allow worlds to enter our domain if it is done willingly."

Lucia nodded.

"Yes. Give them the files of our history. Let them read through it, then have them meet the High Council on Alesia. I will brief my husband."

Aldaras gave a nod.

"I will do it. How is Councilor Amann?"

Lucia laughed at the question, a smile spreading across her face.

"He is quite well. No major events going on, very routine. The Empire is quiet and stable. Yes, he is happy."

She leaned back, sighing contently. Aldaras smiled at that.

"Well, that is good. Tell him I said hello. I already miss Alesia, ever since I resigned from the Lower Council to have fun on the fringes. Almost regret it. Still, I could always return when I am done playing at the rough edges of civilization."

Lucia chuckled.

"Yes. You always did want to try new things."

Aldaras nodded.

"Indeed. I heard Cassandra was elected to another term as Lower Councilor of Alesia."

Lucia smiled again.

"Yes. My daughter is very popular on Alesia. She seems to do well at running the Lower Council. She crushed her opponents in the election."

Aldaras tapped his desk.

"She did a good job when I was there. But the Terrans should be nearly done with their tour now. I have to go meet with them and then give them a copy of our history files. Then I will send them to Alesia to meet with the High Council."

Lucia spoke after a moment.

"Yes...well...I will brief the others. Alesia out."

Aldaras disconnected the comm system and got up, stopping only to pick up a datapad. He carried it with him as he walked out of his office and headed to the nearby conference room. Inside, he saw the humans and headed toward the door. 2 Alesian Legionnaires stood on both sides of the door, saluting the Governor as he entered. He acknowledged the salute and sat down across from the 5 people gathered in the room. He spoke first.

"As you probably already know, I am Governor Aldaras. I am in charge of this world, appointed by the High Council to administer the world in their name and for the Empire. I have consulted with the High Council and they have agreed to meet with you."

Daniel replied.

"We are honored to meet with you. I am Dr. Daniel Jackson. You already met Colonel Jack O'Neill. The Jaffa is Teal'c. This is Major Samantha Carter. And this is Lt. Elliot carrying the Tok'ra Lantesh."

Aldaras smiled.

"Does Lantesh speak for the Tok'ra as well? A possible alliance might occur with them as well if this is so. Even better. I have on this data pad a basic history of the Alesian Empire, translated into English from Ancient. You may keep the pad to take back to your world after you meet our High Council. They are being briefed as we speak."

Daniel took the offered pad and began to read, tapping the screen as O'Neill spoke.

"You are being fairly open. You were keeping to yourselves until now."

Aldaras gave a small grin.

"I disobeyed Alesian Imperative 28 to satisfy my curiosity regarding you. We typically kill anyone that enters our territory, but there are exceptions to the rule. Besides, even if I let you scout the settlement, there was no way you were leaving without our permission. We had you on sensors the moment you came through, and we also had you followed. One order, and you would have bene captured or killed, as you were captured tonight."

O'Neill shuddered inwardly at the casual remark. It reminded him of the way the Soviets were, casually brutal. Daniel spoke after a moment.

"Interesting...The Alesian Empire was founded by a Lantean captain named Amann Adar 22,000 years ago...what is a Lantean?"

Aldaras paused.

"The Lanteans were the ones that departed this galaxy when the plague that scattered our civilization hit some millions of years ago. They took Atlantis, the flying capital city and took it to the Alterra Galaxy. You undoubtedly call it something else. Over time, the Lanteans rebuilt their civilization, but they were careless, militarily incompetent as it were. 22,000 years ago, Amann Adar took his followers and founded the Empire on a world called Alesia. We grew over time to our current size today. There is a rich history involved with our Empire. We are the continuation of the Ancients and of our species."

Aldaras paused as he took in a deep breath.

"We look toward the future as a bright light to reach forward and restore our civilization to it's former glory. To share prosperity and peace to all that enter our domain. I believe the High Council will offer you a place in the Alesian Empire. If that is not to your liking...we are more than willing to merely ally with you I am sure. The High Council will make the final offer."

Teal'c spoke.

"I have heard of the Alesians. The Goa'uld fear your race."

Aldaras nodded.

"The Goa'uld are powerful, but they are a mere nuisance to us. They are weak, and their soldiers degraded from previous versions. They used to have Goa'uld soldiers, which were more formidable. The Jaffa are not as good as the Goa'uld soldiers were, and their equipment is just pathetic."

Teal'c frowned at that. Aldaras sensed the Jaffa's anger and raised his hand in supplication.

"This is not meant as an insult, but we prefer brutal honesty. Compared to both our Empire and to the Terrans, the Jaffa are not on par with their equipment. This is why you win your battles despite superior numbers of Jaffa attacking you. And our Legionnaires are genetically engineered warriors that are given the finest equipment we can give them, and the Jaffa are cannon fodder to them. One Alesian Legion of 5,000 soldiers is enough to take most worlds. We even have recruited former Jaffa worlds to join the Alesian Militia, the security and planetary defense forces of the Empire. Needless to say, they are much happier fighting under an Empire that sees their worth as soldiers. They have superior strength and endurance to the average human, and they do possess great healing abilities. Just their equipment is terrible for war, and they weren't as strong or formidable as the Goa'uld soldiers that preceded them."

Teal'c kept his frown, but slowly relaxed in his chair. Aldaras turned to O'Neill.

"I assume you have more questions?"

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Core Region / Alesia Sector / Alesia III**

**Alesian-Anubis War: Month 0**

**Day -3 06:01:41**

A cold breeze swept across the city, the proud citadel of the Alesian Empire stretched to the horizon, filled with white skyscrapers thousands of feet high. One tower in particular towered above the rest, at least a mile higher than the rest of the city. On a balcony near the top, a lone man stood at the railing. He looked like he was roughly in his thirties, yet there was a sense of power and resilience about him. He was dressed in a white robe and elegant armor emblazoned with an outstretched gold eagle on the front of the armor. The armor also had white shoulder pads as well as white gauntlets and gloves. Military rank and emblem was on the shoulder pads. The robe underneath the armor appeared to be stuffed in the gauntlets and the white boots he wore. Beneath the pure white breastplate was worn a white Romanesque looking skirt which just went over the robe he wore underneath all that armor. He looked out at the city outlaid before him. His city. In the background were huge mountains that reached the sky and made even the proud citadel of the Alesian Empire seem small in comparison.

A cold breeze blew across the balcony and he inhaled. The air was cold, but it felt wholesome. Every breath he took in felt like new life was entering into him. Occasionally a large ship would lift off and depart into space. It appeared to be morning judging from the sun position, which gave off a golden light that made the city even more beautiful than it already was. Looking down, he saw the buildings down below, filled with jumpers and personal craft flying about. Down below, he saw the pure white stone that was laid at the ground level. A voice behind him spoke.

"You shouldn't stand out there too long, Amann. You will freeze and catch a cold."

The man turned around and saw a dark haired women standing in the doorway.

"You worry too much Lucia. I like to stand out here. Reminds me of what I am leading, and reminds me of what the Empire is. This is the crown jewel of the Empire, the might and pride of all we have accomplished. Countless billions across the Empire work, live, grow old, and die. We give them hope and pride in their work. No Empire is perfect, but I think we did pretty good. Seeing what we built is a monument greater than any statue you could build of me or anyone else."

Amann smiled at his wife as they embraced. Lucia gave him a kiss on the cheek. Amann spoke as they walked inside.

"I assume your shift is going well so far?"

Lucia groaned as she loosened her robe slightly.

"Long and boring. It is fairly routine, we get reports. I almost wish for a crisis at times, just to have variety."

Amann raised an eyebrow.

"I like it quiet you know. The Empire is stable, prosperous, and powerful. And we have few enemies that can challenge us. The Goa'uld are weak, the Wraith do nothing but fight over food while we build our strength in the Alterra Galaxy. The Ori are quiet as far as I know. The Asgard annoy us, but as long as we adhere to the treaty limiting our expansion, they do not bother us that much."

Lucia smiled as she walked over to the bar and poured herself a glass of amber liquid.

"Well, the Asgard have been very quiet. It makes you think they are getting complacent. They seem to have problems of their own, what with these replicators."

Amann shrugged as he walked over to get himself a glass.

"Not our problem. The Ori are the ones that still concern me the most. The Asgard in a pinch will ally with us against even them. Still, it is best to not antagonize them for now. The Ori are the main enemy."

Lucia nodded.

"Has there been word from any of the spies there?"

Amann took a sip of the amber liquid. It felt like fire going down his throat. He set the glass down.

"No, nothing from the wolf pack. And our ring of spy satellites report little activity. The Ori seem at peace. No telling how long that will last of course, but it will take them over a year to reach us from their galaxy. We will see them leave their galaxy and be ready for them easily."

Lucia frowned at that.

"And our spies are reliable?"

Amann jerked his head.

"Who knows. Even if they are not, we will still get plenty of warning. I believe they are reliable, after all they spied for the Lanteans before spying for us. Black Wolf and Silver Wolf are supposedly high up in the Ori pantheon. There are others of course, but of lesser importance. It matters little. We will have at least a year's warning if not far more. It takes time to build up an army, and we will know if they build up. Their society does not have much in the way of a standing army."

Amann put his hand on her shoulders and began to rub them. Lucia groaned at that and moved closer to Amann.

"That feels good..."

Amann smiled.

"I know...you also mentioned something regarding intruders from Terra earlier?"

Lucia nodded as she closed her eyes.

"Yes...They are being introduced to our history, to get a better feel for how our society works before they get to meet us later today."

Amann nodded.

"Well that will be something new. A Tok'ra is also with them as well. That will prove to be most interesting. The possibilities of having access to their spy network. We have a good one as well, but never hurts to have more spies to keep tabs on the Goa'uld."

Lucia nodded as she gave him another kiss.

"Yeah...there is really nothing of consequence at the moment going on. I am sure we can do something in the meantime while we wait for the humans to arrive. Maybe have lunch...take a walk in the city. Beautiful day so far...we should enjoy it."

Amann smiled back at her.

"Yes...I think we should. I am sure your father or Taelira can handle matters for now. I am sure Demos would not mind."

Lucia shook her head.

"He does not mind at all really. He likes seeing us relax and enjoy each other's company."

Amann put an arm around her shoulder and hit the button by the door to open it.

"Ladies first."

Lucia gave a small laugh as she walked out with Amann in tow.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Core World Region**

**Alesian Empire: Former Tok'ra Home Base/ Cet'lec Sector / Revanna**

**Alesian-Anubis War: Month 0**

**Day -3 08:51:19**

Aldaras headed toward the Stargate with SG-1 in tow. Alesian Legionnaires walked along the hallways, saluting the governor as they headed toward the stargate. Aldaras spoke into the comm device he held.

"Aldaras to _Astriaporta_. Dial Alesia. Authorization code has been sent."

"Confirmed. Opening stargate."

Aldaras gave a small nod as they came within sight of the stargate, the flickering wall of water showing even from the distance as Legionnaires were set up guarding it. Salutes were exchanged as Aldaras pointed toward the stargate.

"Go on through. The gate defenses are deactivated. The High Council awaits you."

The team and Lantesh paused as they walked through the Stargate, en route to the Alesian homeworld.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Core Region / Alesia Sector / Alesia III**

**Alesian-Anubis War: Month 0**

**Day -3 09:03:41**

The Stargate opened on the capital city of Alesia with a _kawoosh_ as SG-1 exited the wormhole. They paused at the sight that laid before them. It was strangely surreal as they walked down the steps to the large white stones that were laid in the massive square, which was a mile wide and 3 miles long. The large stone pavers were the size of a small car as they were several feet across and several feet wide per square. Daniel in particular was amazed as he watched jumpers and other small craft land near the buildings and on the balconies on the sides of the buildings. Fountains of water in the distance lined the sides of the square as stone benches and white tables sat next to them. Many people sat at the tables either talking or eating, or just enjoying a relaxing afternoon before heading back to their duties.

O'Neill was not paying much attention to the spectacular sight however, as he was staring at the company of Alesian Legionnaires and a 30 foot tall walker pointing their weapons at them. A sharp command echoed from the lone figure standing near the DHD, his white cape flowing in the wind as he took in the strange humans. The Legionnaires lowered their weapons and stood at attention as the Alesian walked forward slowly, his brown hair highlighting the sharp, pale features that were associated with his race. He spread his hands out to show he was unarmed, even though the cylindrical bulges on the wrist armor indicated otherwise. O'Neill took the Alesian's appearance in, noting the decorative gold eagle stylized on the front of the armor as he spoke.

"Humans of Terra, I am Sector General Ayen, commander of the Alesian 2nd Fleet Group. I have been ordered to greet you and to welcome you to Alesia, the homeworld of the Alesian Empire. You are to be treated well, as arriving dignitaries. The Council is currently occupied, but they wish to inform you that they will be meeting with you in a few hours. In the meantime, you can take a tour of the city under an escort."

Daniel spoke.

"Why under an escort?"

Ayen snorted.

"So you don't get lost in the city. This city has over 500 million people in it, and is vastly larger than anything you can imagine. You will need a guide. Centurion Deras?"

A dark haired man stepped forward and saluted with a fist to his breastplate.

"Yes General?"

"Escort our guests. Take them on a general tour, and then bring them back to Alesian High Command. Take your time."

"Yes sir."

Deras looked toward SG-1.

"If you will follow me, I will show you the city. We will beam to select locations, since the city is too large to walk around in and see in one day."

He strode off crisply as SG-1 followed behind the legionnaire, his metal boots impacting the stones with precision. Daniel seemed stunned at the sight of the city as they walked along, the Legionnaire pointed out landmarks in the distance and explaining how much of Alesian society worked.

"You will find that our citizens are productive and happy. We went to great lengths to ensure that, for unhappy citizens means inefficiency and dissent, which can hinder the Empire in it's efforts to create a unified order that will lead us into the future as a strong people. We are the future of our race."

The team remained silent at that declaration. It was obvious that the Alesians were heavily indoctrinated in their nationalism. Deras pointed to a large, blocky building in the distance, which was much larger than the rest of the buildings that surrounded it.

"That is the Chamber of Councilors. The Lower Council meets and resides there. Each world that has 2 million people or more sends an elected representative to the Lower Council. Tens of thousands of people meet there to decide the laws of the Empire."

Daniel interrupted.

"Then what does the High Council do if the Lower Council makes the law?"

Deras looked annoyed at the interruption.

"They rule. They can override a law they do not like, although the Lower Council can override them in turn with another vote and they can also remove High Councilors. This is obviously difficult to do, however. Otherwise there would be anarchy and both ruling bodies would not function."

Daniel thought about it in silence. The government was strange, but yet familiar. Deras tapped a crystal in his wrist and spoke.

"Centurion Deras to AleHiComm. Request beam-in with 5 guests. Authorization code sent."

A voice spoke.

"Confirm. Standby."

With a flash of light, SG-1 was beamed to a large lobby with the Alesian soldier. The lobby contained some tables, where white robed Alesian civilians. They appeared to be eating and enjoying breakfast, or tapping on datapads. Deras waved around.

"We are in Alesian High Command. The first level is open to the public, although they are required to submit to scans to get inside. You may look around. The High Council will meet with you shortly."

Deras strode off to talk with another Legionnaire as O'Neill walked over to what appeared to be a series of stylized paintings and drawings. His eyes scanned over the drawings, which appeared to be mainly depicting Alesian soldiers in combat. The paintings showed hellish scenes as the Alesians were locked into combat with fearsome enemies, including some sort of lizard race. Jaffa were even depicted in the paintings as the Alesians were usually gathered around a large blue flag depicting the gold Alesian eagle. One painting caught his eye as he leaned in to look at it. The painting showed an Alesian unit gathered together at the base of a hill. One figure stood out from the rest, an Alesian officer that bore the flag with one hand. The Legionnaire had a look of determination as his other hand was locked up to point at the top of the hill, as purple bolts streaked past him. A voice behind O'Neill spoke.

"Beautiful painting, isn't it. It is called _Taking the Hill_. It depicts a battle 12,000 years ago against an aggressive race of humans that are now incorporated into the Empire."

O'Neill turned to find himself standing next to a dark-haired Alesian.

"It is certainly dramatized."

The Alesian chuckled.

"Yes, but it really does depict courage and bravery in it. Something Alesians treasure greatly."

He pointed toward another painting. It showed a line of Alesians standing at attention as a dead legionnaire was being carried by 4 others.

"That is a painting that honors the fallen dead. It showcases the duty and sacrifice of our brave soldiers. They earn their respect. All soldiers that serve have earned it. Maybe one day, there won't be a need for war and killing..."

O'Neill stared at him, the Alesian appeared to be in his thirties, yet seemed far older as weariness momentarily flashed. Finally, O'Neill spoke.

"Only the dead have seen the end of war."

The Alesian sighed.

"True words, but we can build a better future despite it. I think we have succeeded."

He pointed toward another painting that showed 5 individuals standing together with a smile.

"That is my favorite painting. _The Council_. Take a look for yourself."

O'Neill did as he was instructed and looked at the painting. The individual in the center stood out, a pale, dark haired man that stood next to a woman. Both of them were smiling and holding hands. O'Neill turned to regard the Alesian as Amann strode forward to stand next to the painting.

"It is my favorite because it shows what the Council really is. A family of like minded individuals that wanted to create a better tomorrow for everyone. My family. This world and the Empire it controls, this is what we have created for 22,000 years now. We struggled at first, exiled and isolated from our brethren, but we have survived, prospered, and built the future I dreamed of."

O'Neill blinked as the Alesian introduced himself.

"I am Amann Adar, High Councilor of Alesia. I am pleased to finally meet a Terran ever since rumors of your exploits have reached our ears from the Goa'uld Empire. Your struggle against overwhelming odds reminded us of what we once were. We have more in common than you may realize, and I hope we can come to some sort of arrangement."

O'Neill replied cautiously.

"You do realize that we are only soldiers."

Amann nodded.

"You are the messanger to your political leaders. We have already decided to make 2 offers to send back to Terra. The first one is to take you into a cycle that will see Terra integrated into the Alesian Empire. Such benefits come with full access to our technological base and the full protection of the Alesian Fleet to defend your world. That also comes with full trade benefits that will see your world enjoy a golden age of prosperity never before seen on your world. You will maintain your internal government, although we will more than likely base troops on your world as a defense force. You will get to send a representative to the Lower Council on Alesia, and I am sure you will become an influential world in the Empire should you accept our offer. We can cure the problems that run rampant in many worlds."

Amann took a deep pause for breath as he spoke with a casual, light tone.

"The second offer, while not as generous, might suit you better should you not decide to integrate into the Empire. You will still receive protection from the Alesian fleet if you ally with us, although technology will be more restricted, and we cannot intervene to cure the problems on your world. We know that not everyone will want to join the Empire. Some do prefer to remain independent and our treaty with the Asgard forces us to recognize independence of worlds that choose to not join us. It works out to our benefit still, because a world that joins us willingly is a world without significant dissent. If we conquer a world, there will be dissent that will make things worse. We prefer orderly transition."

Amann spread his hands apart.

"The Empire is not perfect, and it never will be. But we created a fair and just system, and we are not cruel conquerors or monsters. We are pathfinders, guides to the future. We rule not out a desire for power, but for the greater good."

O'Neill blinked in surprise.

"I suppose we could take the offer back. No promises."

Amann nodded.

"It is all we ask. We will meet with your leaders once you have thought it over. You will be escorted back through the Stargate to Revanna."

O'Neill gave a small smile as he walked back to his team. Amann watched them depart as a young blonde woman came up beside him.

"I take it the offer was laid?"

Amann nodded.

"Yes, Galadriel. They will tell us when they decide."

Lucia came on over from where she was watching from her table with an older man with a white beard in tow. She gave Amann a small hug and a soft look as he smiled at her. She spoke a moment later.

"Interesting people. They do not give a definite answer yet."

The older man spoke.

"That was expected. We do not want to be optimistic."

Amann shook his head.

"You are correct Demos. However, we need to know more about them to adjust our offer."

Another woman walked over from where she was inspecting a painting. She was dressed in a armored bra and pants, with her obsidian colored skin shining in the light as she threw her long, white hair back behind her shoulders. Her green eyes locked with Amann's brown eyes as the Drow female spoke.

"Send a spy back to gather intelligence?"

Amann nodded. His friendly face changed to a look of calculating intelligence. The light tone of voice that he used with O'Neill was gone, replaced by one with cold, assertive authority.

"Yes, Taelira. That is my plan. Issue the orders. I want to know everything there is to know about the Terrans. Also dispatched a cloaked cruiser to observe activity and to scan their world. I must know their current state before we proceed further."

Taelira smiled.

"The Drow will send a cruiser immediately."

"Yes...The Asgard watch their home system, and they know little about Drow ships compared to our own. They would detect our ships, but they will probably not detect your own ships."

Amann sighed as he rubbed his eyes.

"Well, this has been an interesting day so far. I will be in my office."

Amann strode away after giving Lucia a small kiss on the cheek, the swirl of his robe trailing behind him as he headed upstairs.


	6. Into the Shadows

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 6: Into the Shadows**

SG-1 stepped back through the gate into Stargate Command. O'Neill looked around after they walked through the stargate to find all of the guns pointing at them. General Hammond was waiting at the bottom of the ramp. O'Neil frowned and spoke.

"What is going on, sir?"

Hammond spoke up first.

"You have been gone 3 days, SG-1. We feared that the Alesians captured or killed you. We weren't sure if your iris code was compromised."

"The Alesians do have our iris code, sir. They mind probed us for information after they captured us near their settlement. They then took us to their homeworld. I recommend that we change the iris code. The Alesians seem interested in an alliance. Requesting to be debriefed, sir."

"Permission granted. Debriefing will begin immediately."

The team walked down the ramp and headed to the conference room. A shimmering went unnoticed in the activity. SG-1 entered the conference room as General Hammond stood at the head of the table.

"SG-1, please describe what happened on your mission."

O'Neill went into all of the details, including a description of their homeworld as Hammond listened in. Finally, he cut in.

"These Alesians seem interested in an alliance you say? And that they mind probed you for information? Seems like they aren't very trusting."

Daniel then spoke.

"Well think about it, General. This race is a very isolated empire on the edge of the galaxy with little knowledge about us. The most they have heard was probably mentioned in passing. Would we ally with someone before finding out more about them?"

"Point taken. So when can we expect a reply from the Alesians?"

O'Neill then spoke.

"They didn't say, sir. But I would guess fairly soon? Their leaders assured us of that."

Hammond then switched the topic.

"I recognize the name Galadriel, Colonel. You said that she was one of the leaders of the Alesians?"

"Yes sir, and the description matches what is written in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I grew up with those books as a kid. There is another race on Alesia present called the Drow."

Daniel smiled a bit and interrupted.

"The Drow are fairly well known on Earth as well, General Hammond. They are mentioned frequently in fantasy stories. It appears that many legends are true about them as well."

Hammond began to speak, but the alarm was activated and Walter's voice broadcasted on the intercom.

"Security alert, level 28. Security teams to level 28."

Everyone got up from the table and headed to the control room. As they entered, Walter looked up. Hammond spoke first.

"What do you have?"

"Well sir, security teams have not located anyone on base, but someone tried to access a computer terminal on Level 28, near the MALP storage room. The security attempt was thwarted by our login. Security teams are sweeping the base now."

"Keep me informed"

"Yes, sir"

_Elsewhere on the base…_

Cestus grimaced as he ran through the corridor on level 23. He knew he screwed up majorly in accessing that login screen. His orders were clear, to gather as much information on the base as he could for his superiors. But how when the alarm sounds everytime he tries to login? He ran through the possible options as he managed to evade 2 security teams on the way. Suddenly it clicked. Smiling cruelly, he ran to the autodestruct room he found on the way to the computer terminal.

_In the control room…_

Everyone was gathered around the terminal. Suddenly the alarm blared as the autodestruct began to count down. Colonel O'Neill spoke up.

"Deactivate the autodestruct."

"I can't sir, Remote access has been cut. The only way to shut it down is at the terminal with the autodestruct."

Colonel O'Neill, General Hammond, Major Carter, Teal'c, Dr. Jackson, and Lantesh ran to the autodestruct with several airmen to shut the device down. They reached the device with 2 minutes to go. With a quick command code, the self-destruct was deactivated as everyone sighed in relief. They made their way back to the briefing room until they noticed the control room was blacked out. Entering cautiously, Colonel O'Neill entered the gateroom with his P-90 raised and looked around. Walter was against the wall unconscious along with the various personnel. Only the computer screens were active. Major Carter ran to the terminal and sat down. She hurriedly gave a quick report.

"Sir, it appears that the system was accessed and all the files in our mainframe were downloaded. Whoever accessed the system has all the information in our files."

The screen on her terminal cut out to the gate screen as the gate began to dial out. The chevrons began to lock as the coordinates were appearing. Colonel O'Neill made to move with a security detachment to head off whoever was going toward the gate. Teal'c frowned a moment and made off to the nearby armory. The security team secured the gateroom as the gate was activated. Colonel O'Neil frowned as the gate was kept active and no one appeared.

_Right outside the gateroom…_

Cestus growled as he noticed several guards next to the gate, he couldn't pass them without drawing attention. Slowly he backed away. In doing so, he knocked over a toolbox. Various tools fell out and made a clatter as guards rushed toward his position. He saw he had no choice as he was trapped. He lashed out with a fist and caught the first airman by surprised and made him fly across the room. He threw the next airman after the first one as M-16 fire penetrated his cloak and bounced off his armor. He opted to use his wrist weapons on stun to get out of the growing numbers of guards. Bluish balls of light lanced out and hit 3 or 4 of the guards, stunning them. Cestus frowned for a second as he noticed his hand was visible, then he looked down and realize his whole body was visible. He looked around and saw Teal'c holding a Retu weapon and a stun grenade. He spun to use his wrist blaster as Teal'c threw the stun grenade and ducked for cover. Cestus swore in Ancient as the grenade went off and he fell to the floor unconscious.

_Later on in the infirmary…_

O'Neill and the others looked on as the armor was removed from the man. The pieces of the armor were undoubtably Alesian in origin. The man was only left with a white robe after the white boots, metal skirt, weapon gauntlets, and breastplate and shoulder pads were removed. Dr. Fraiser walked over with a pad in her hand.

"He will be fine from the effects of the stun grenade. He will be awake in a few moments."

Hammond spoke up.

"Is there anything else, Doctor?"

"Yes sir, his muscles are much denser than ours. I am running more scans and tests on him, but he appears to be even stronger than a Goa'uld. Certainly much stronger than a Jaffa. It also seems he is genetically enhanced in addition to being naturally strong. His chest muscles are more developed, giving him more endurance and stamina. Reflexes are much quicker. Hand-eye coordination appears to be abnormal. He is physically superior to any normal human in every way it seems."

Carter spoke up.

"Well, judging from his armor and dress, he is one of the Alesian soldiers. It would fit with what we know of them that they try to make their ground troops super soldiers. They are genetically enhanced."

Teal'c interrupted.

"Indeed. It would also be evident that their soldiers are extremely well trained and disciplined. The UAV we launched over Rivanna observed about 100 Alesians take on 500 or 600 Jaffa and win, with only 2 being stunned from the grenades. It is why I thought it would be effective against this one. We have much to learn about their people. I suggest caution be used when he awakes. Dr. Frasier, I recommend we use some sedatives to keep him from physically getting up and restraints in case they do not work.

Dr. Fraiser nodded as she administered more sedative. The battle scarred Alesian began to awake as he looked about. From his features, he was pale and dark haired like most of the observed Alesians. He was not a very tall man, only being 5'8 or so. The fact he was stronger than even a Goa'uld for his size troubled the Tauri. He then spoke to the group standing in the doorway.

"I commend you on your capture of me, but it does not change much of anything, people of Terra. My mission was not of hostile intent."

O'Neill then stepped forward.

"Really? In that case, I suppose then that the activation of our self destruct was not one of hostile intent?"

The Alesian smirked.

"A mere diversion. I gambled that you would disable the countdown and move your forces away from the area I wanted to get into. I didn't count on you moving back to the gateroom so fast. Then again, I am unfamiliar with this base. Suppose being the defender has its advantages."

Hammond spoke up next.

"What was your mission here?"

"To gather information."

"Why?"

"We need more information on our potential allies. Don't you do the same before you ally with anyone?"

"We don't sneak into their military bases and try to steal classified information."

"Then how do you know their true intentions? Surely you don't take what they say at face value, do you?"

An alert blared throughout the base as Walter's voice echoed over the intercom.

"Unscheduled offworld activation."

Hammond spoke irritably.

"Now what?"

The team all made their way to the control room. Hammond spoke as soon as he entered the room

"Sargeant, what is going on?"

"A message is coming through the gate from Rivanna, sir. It's the Alesians. They are requesting that a delegation arrive on Rivanna to talk about a possible alliance."

Hammond and O'Neill looked at each other as the gate deactivated. This was going to be an interesting mission ahead of them.

_Near Rivanna…_

Zipacna smiled as his upgraded flagship approached the system. He roared at his Prime.

"Jaffa, make haste! Call my ships to me and I shall lay waste to all those who oppose me and Lord Anubis."

His Prime bowed.

"It will be done as you wish, my lord. A total of eleven Ha'taks are gathering to the designated system."

"Good! I assume that it's these 'Alesians' or some gonachs of such name that dared to attack my worlds. As the regent of Lord Anubis, I will show them the wrath of Anubis. Prepare the fleet and attack when we are ready."

_To be continued…_


	7. Friend and Foe

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 7: Friend and Foe**

SG-1 made their way to the gateroom as the ambassador arrived. He was an older man, with graying hair and in his 50's. His name was David Smith. He had been briefed on the Stargate program when it was reactivated again and he was one of the ambassadors to work out the treaty with the Tok'ra. He waited in a formal gray suit, with a white shirt and a blue tie. His briefcase was next to him. It contained some paper and pens as well as his trusty laptop. He greeted SG-1 as they stepped through the door. O'Neill nodded once in his direction as the gate started to spin up. Smith turned toward Colonel O'Neill as the 4th chevron was activated.

"It has been a long time since we last met, Colonel."

"Ah, indeed it has. Nervous?"

"Somewhat, dealing with any major power is never easy."

"Well you know me, diplomacy was never my forte."

Smith merely smiled as the gate activated and they stepped through to Rivanna. They walked out and looked around. They noticed no one until cloaks were dropped and Alesian Legionnaires stood on guard. They saluted by closing their fist and lightly hitting their breastplate and extending it out. A man in white robes walked up to greet them.

"Greetings, people of Terra. I am Aldaras, the governor of this world. If you will follow me, we will walk to the colony to discuss an alliance. I have not been instructed by my government to formalize an alliance or terms without the High Council's approval. Come with me please."

They walked as a company of Alesians formed up beside the team and escorted them. O'Neill took a side glance at them. They appeared to be professional in their bearing and their drill was precise as their white metal boots marched in perfect time. He couldn't help but wonder how long they trained. Even as he put it into conscious thought, Aldaras answered for him as if reading his mind.

"The Alesian Legionnaires train only on Alesia and they usually train for 10 years before they are assigned anywhere. Some of the elite legionnaires have been in the army for 100's of years. Senior commanders are generally combat experienced and thousands of years old."

They came to a recently constructed white wall enclosing the complex, with many energy turrets in towers guarding the walls. Soldiers walked along the walls, but not those wearing the Alesian armor. Their armor was also white, but it seemed less impressive, thinner. Their breastplate was not a solid piece, but rather a flexible band of smaller pieces. They carried energy rifles as well as the standard antimatter grenades used by the Alesian Legions. O'Neill spoke.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are those soldiers different?"

Aldaras chuckled.

"Because those are not Alesian Legionnaires. Those soldiers are of the militia. They are good soldiers, but not as good as Alesian soldiers are. Only those who can survive training on our heavy gravity world and is willing to submit to genetic modification can join the Legions. That generally includes pure blood Alesians, some humans who live on heavy gravity worlds themselves, and humans with some Alesian parentage. The heavy gravity on our world makes it hard for others to train effectively. When your team visited our homeworld, you were wearing gravity dampening devices to prevent you from tiring after a few steps. But it is in the best interests of the Empire to have our armies organized this way. Those who cannot join the Legions can still serve by joining the Alesian Militia. The legions generally fight in invasions while the militia garrison and support the main Alesian army. The Militia are still superior to the Jaffa that the Goa'uld use, but they would take more casualties since they do not have personal shields nor is their armor as able to absorb energy weapons as our legionnaires. Militias typically come from the worlds that have joined the Alesian Empire."

They entered one of the white towers observed by the UAV as they walked on the white stone blocks laid out. Equipment was everywhere building more structures as soldiers and civilians walked past them. They were beamed to the top of the tower in a room with an adjoining balcony. A table sat in the middle of the room as the lights in the room glowed white and blue. Aldaras sat down at the round table as the team and Smith sat down. He touched one of the buttons on the control panel in the table to record the conversation as Smith took out his laptop and prepared to take a few notes. Aldaras smiled a bit at the machine, he found it fascinating in its primitive way. After a few minutes he began.

"I know that your people want to form an alliance with mighty Alesia and her empire. We share a common enemy known as the Goa'uld. They are widespread throughout this galaxy and we will encounter them until they are destroyed and their empire fallen. But before we begin, we should formally introduce ourselves. I know the names of your military escort and their various histories thanks to our mind scanning technology. To the Colonel, I must apologize for that action since it was my recommendation that the scan was preformed to learn about you. I am Governor Elim Aldaras."

Smith smiled a bit as he extended his hand.

"I am Ambassador David Smith of the United States government, a major nation on the planet Earth."

Aldaras took his hand and shook it.

"Please sit down. We have much to discuss. We refer to your world as Terra among our people, but we will call it Earth in deference to your wishes. We have much to discuss. Earth and its allies have much to offer Alesia, and we have a lot to offer you. It would be beneficial to work out such an agreement, wouldn't you say, Ambassador Smith?"

Smith inclined his head.

"I would agree with that assessment, Governor, but even so, Earth is concerned about who we are allying with. As one of your soldiers infiltrated one of our bases to learn more about us, we would like to know more about you. We know that you are a very isolationalist power and that you are feared by the Goa'uld System Lords.

Aldaras smiled.

"Indeed that is so, but Councilor Amann has stated the given objectives of the Empire to your people, has he not? We are willing to ally with the Tok'ra and Earth. I have a few terms that might be satisfactory to both our needs which can be summed up in a very simple treaty that need not be complicated. Out of the Tok'ra, we will ask that they share all their intelligence with an Alesian liaison that will be stationed with them. Out of the Terrans, we would ask that you consider an Alesian base on your moon to protect from future Goa'uld attacks as well as military cooperation between our forces. However the base on the moon is not mandatory and therefore not necessary, but we do ask at the least military cooperation. In exchange, we will teach both the Tok'ra and Earth how to use much of our technology. For instance, the Tok'ra have no queen and therefore is dying off slowly. We have the technology to rewrite a symbiote's genetic structure to match that of a queen. The new queen will produce a new generation of Tok'ra. You can finally renew your numbers, Lantesh of the Tok'ra. For the Terrans, this will mean that they will be able to construct ships and weapons to take on the Goa'uld. While we cannot give you all of our technology overnight, we will send scientists to teach your own how to use the technology. We also offer energy sources far beyond your wildest dreams."

Daniel interrupted.

"If you don't mind my asking, why are you being so generous with your technology? Most advanced races that we have encountered have been reluctant to share with less advanced races."

Aldaras sighed.

"Because any enemy of the Goa'uld who can keep them off balance is a friend to us. We cannot conquer the entire galaxy; we don't have the manpower necessary to occupy all that territory. We want the Goa'uld to fight amongst each other while trying to fight the Tok'ra, the Jaffa rebellion, and Earth. By strengthening you, we make that objective almost certain to succeed. It is known that Alesians are masters of strategy. This is part of it. This treaty ensures everyone wins. If the Goa'uld try to attack Earth for example, we will destroy their fleet. But let us hammer out the rest of the treaty. It shouldn't be much longer until you can return and consult with your leader."

_In the space just outside the system…_

Seven Ha'taks, including the upgraded ship which Zipacna was on board, exited hyperspace and immediately powered up their shields and weapons. Anubis warned that these 'Alesians' are not easy prey and they will fight. Just as Zipacna's fleet powered up their shields, two more Ha'taks arrived, powering up their shields. The fleet of 9 ha'taks moved toward Rivanna. A fleet of 5 Alesian warships awaited them, including the 8 km long destroyer _Galadriel_, named in honor of the Golden Lady of the Empire. The Alesian general sitting in the command chair was alerted by the sensors of the powerful warship and sent a message to the colony down below that they were about to come under attack.

_On Rivanna…_

Aldaras was outlining the final terms of the treaty when an Alesian commander walked in and saluted.

"What is it? Commander Yoto"

"Sir, a fleet of Goa'uld Ha'taks are approaching Rivanna, their weapons are powered and they are in attack formation. General Ayen says that his fleet is cloaked and awaiting to engage the enemy."

Aldaras nodded.

"Very well, activate defense grid. Dismissed."

Commander Yoto walked out and Aldaras looked around.

"I will have to cut this meeting short. We will have to continue this another time. If you would like, I can arrange you to beam to the flagship in orbit with me and witness the battle."

O'Neill nodded and Aldaras activated the beam transporter and they stood on the bridge of the Galadriel. It was similar to the bridge of the Orion, but it contained more consoles and displays and seemed more built for war. A hologram stood near the center of the room next to where General Ayen sat on his command chair. The 2 soldiers on either side were also sitting controlling various parts of the ship. The hologram was the first to speak.

"Weapons are fully powered, General. The gravimetric drive is functioning at 100% capacity and we are cloaked. The Goa'uld fleets has closed to within 1,000,000 miles of the planet and have not detected us."

General Ayen nodded.

"Very well, NABIS. Compile reports of ship performance and other relevant information of the battle and then present it to me after the battle."

The hologram nodded and disappeared into thin air. The general noticed the new arrivals as the 50 or so soldiers on the bridge moved about their business.

"Governor Aldaras. Have you and your friends come to witness this battle? I have heard that the delegations had arrived."

Aldaras smiled.

"Indeed General. You know who our guests are thanks to the ship's AI reports."

O'Neill spoke.

"Excuse me, but what exactly is NABIS?"

Ayen smirked

"Ah yes, NABIS stands for Neurally Augmented Battle Integrated System. It is a network of AI personalities which link all of the forces of the Empire. It provides unparalleled coordination between our forces. Every ship and outpost has a NABIS unit."

The hologram of the young woman reappeared.

"The Goa'uld fleet is almost within weapons range."

"Very well, decloak and fire. Battle alert, all stations engage!"

The Alesian ships decloaked and sent out small fighters. Zipacna saw this and sent out his death gliders to engage the enemy fighters. The Alesian ships fired waves of drones as Ion cannon and beam weaponry began to shoot from the battleships, destroying several Ha'taks instantly. The Wasps began to swarm the Death Gliders under as the Interceptors luanched drones from long range before they began dogfighting with their rapid fire pulse cannons. The Alesian shields deflected the Goa'uld weapons fire with ease and with a swift order from the Alesian General, they began to rapidly close the distance between them and the Ha'taks, raining fire on the remaining Ha'taks.

Zipacna merely smiled as his Hataks were being destroyed. This was nothing to him. His mission was the important one and the retaking of the planet was a mere bonus. Seeing that the normal Ha'taks were no match for the enemy, he decided to begin the test. At his signal two more upgraded Ha'taks decloaked beside Zipacna's ship. They moved nimbly, easily evading beam weapons. The ion cannons dealt no damage to the shields, which was already known when they destroyed the Tollans.

Zipacna remembered his conversation with Anubis.

_A few days earlier on Tartarus…_

Zipacna knelt before Anubis. Anubis spoke.

"Zipacna, I want to test my new weapons and shields_**.**_"

Zipacna dared to look up at Anubis.

"But, were they not tested against the Asgard, my lord?"

Anubis chuckled.

"I have upgraded them further. When the System Lord ChiYou was reawakened, it gave me a chance to get my hands on an even better weapon. ChiYou thought to destroy his weapon by self-destruction, but I used the Asgard beaming technology to beam out the weapon. Test the weapon."

Zipacna bowed.

"As you will, my lord Anubis."

_In the present…_

Zipacna gave an order to the remaining 2 ha'taks to power their weapons and fire.

The tips of the pyramids of the upgraded ships opened and revealed turrets very similar to that on ChiYou's Ha'tak. They powered up and began to fire blue balls of energy. These were not well formed and refined as ChiYou's weapon but they were of the same bluish colour. The dozen fighters that moved to intercept were easily went downed by the blue balls of energy, and then the three Ha'taks targeted what appeared to be the flagship. Dozens of blue balls began to move against the Alesian ship when the fighters began to intercept them, suiciding to protect the big ship. Then the Ha'taks targeted the nearest Alesian battleship. The fighters were not fast enough to intercept the attacks as ten shots impacted on the ship's shield.

As this was going on, one of the upgraded Ha'taks moved itself into the direct line of fire of enemy beam weapon. The beam impacted on the shield but it withstood. Two more beams hit the shield, and the shield held them. The fourth shot blew up the ship as the shield failed with blocking the third shot.

The other upgraded Ha'tak moved itself to a small swarm of drone weapons, and the drones easily bypassed the shields and crippled the ship, before it blew up

Zipacna, smiling at the result, initiated the hyperspace drive as the Alesian fleet stood victorious over the enemy, but with the Aurora class battleship _Setas_ disabled from the new weapon's fire. General Ayen looked on in cold fury as it limped back to the planet to land on the surface for repairs.

"Legionnaire! I want the wreckage of those 2 ships salvaged! I want a full report on the weapon they used to attack us with. Our shields held, but the much weaker Setas didn't stand too long against this weapon. Find out why."

"It will be done for Alesia, General."

"You may go."

The general looked toward Alderas.

"It seems we have a problem, Governor. I will be reporting to the High Council soon enough. This might be a danger to the Empire and they need to know about it at once."

"Agreed General. Prepare your report immediately, this is definitely priority traffic."

The General nodded as the team and Alderas was beamed back to the surface of the planet. Alderas handed O'Neill an electronic pad with the terms of the proprosed treaty. It only ran for one page as the Alesians valued efficiency.

"Take this to your leader, Colonel. Report what you saw here today and make sure that the alliance is more important than ever due to this new threat."

O'Neill nodded as the delegations walked back to the Stargate.

_Near Tartarus…_

While travelling back to the goa'uld territory, Zipacna called Anubis. Anubis, in his black cloak appeared on screen.

"Speak!"

Zipacna knelt.

"My lord Anubis, the test was successful, though we have lost many ships."

Anubis chuckled.

"Ships and Jaffa are nothing. Send me the recording and the data from the engagement."

"Yes, my lord Anubis. The weapons acquired from ChiYou are indeed powerful, my lord. It took ten bolts to damage their ship while even the upgraded Ha'tak weapons could do nothing. The upgraded shield held strong as well."

Anubis nodded.

"Good. Go to Rel'cac system. I have set up a number of shipyards. It already produced ten Ha'taks. Using the upgraded ship you are on, and the ten Ha'taks, it will be good enough to fight any System Lord's fleet. Resume your assault on Olokun's territory. He will fall soon."

Zipacna bowed as the screen went back to normal.

"Thank you, my lord."

After receiving the data, Anubis called his servant Thoth.

"Ready my flagship and the upgraded Ha'taks. Call reinforcements from the shipyards."

Thoth bowed.

"Only six Ha'taks have been upgraded, my lord."

"What of my flagship?"

"Apophis' design is sound, and I have upgraded it as you have instructed, my lord."

"I will crush these Alesians and absorb their technology. With ChiYou's weapon, it will not be too hard. Is the weapon refined yet?"

Thtoth bowed apologetically.

"I have been unable to concentrate the bolt more than 76%, my lord. But seeing that ten bolts at 57% was enough to cripple their ship, it is a significant improvement, my lord Anubis."

"Unacceptable! ChiYou destroyed a Ha'tak with a weapon drained of energy. I want it 100% refined!"

"I will do my best, my lord."

"Do better or your life will be forfeit."

_To be continued…_


	8. Clash of Titans

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 8: Clash of Titans**

Apophis' mothership, which was destroyed along with Apophis and the Replicators, was recreated by Anubis as his temporary flagship until his real mothership was ready. The huge ship had better weapons and shields, and when Anubis had it upgraded, it was even stronger. Escorted by the six upgraded Ha'taks, the mothership moved out of the orbit.

Anubis' Prime inquired.

"My lord, you have said that these enemies have long range sensors that can detect us. Will they not be prepared?"

Anubis chuckled.

"I have ways to get around that."

Then Anubis' mothership launched some kind of probe into the hyperspace, and along with the six Ha'taks, followed the probe into the hyperspace.

"That probe leaves a massive phase temporal quake, blinding Ancient based sensors all the way. Have the other ships join us at the edge of the system Zipacna reported from."

"Yes, my lord."

_Near Rivanna…_

General Ayen drummed his fingers on the command chair while the _Setas_ was being repaired. One of the older Aurora class warships, it was obsolete as far as Alesian designs went, but it was still a sound ship. A Legionnaire walked in with a report. The young General looked up sternly.

"Report"

"Sir, the salvage teams have just finished examining the wreckage of the Ha'taks. The weapons used appear to have come from an advanced race of aliens that the Ancients once encountered a very long time ago. They were known as the Protoss."

"The Protoss?"

"Yes, their technology was less advanced than ours, but their cannon weapons were of a type that our shields do not protect fully from. While Goa'uld plasma weapons do little damage to our ships, these new weapons can penetrate our shields. However, even with these weapon upgrades, our ships are still superior in weapons and shielding."

Ayen thought hard for a moment.

"Then our ships can no longer safely win a battle against superior numbers, we will have to just come against them harder in future conflicts. Any idea who these ships belonged to?"

"The symbols indicate that the System Lord Anubis was responsible for these attacks."

"The High Council will want to know of this in future reports."

Suddenly, an alarmed chirped as NABIS appeared next to the general.

"Temporal quake detected. Cause is a small probe traveling toward us in hyperspace. Sensors are blinded beyond the probe in a 50 light year zone. Probe appears to be of Goa'uld origin. Conclusion is that a Goa'uld attack is imminent. Recommend sending for reinforcements, General."

"Get me a direct line to the High Council immediately."

The screen flashed on as Amann and Galadriel filled the screen.

"Councilors, our fleet is under imminent attack. Unknown number of hostiles are inbound. Sensors are blinded. NABIS has sent a full report to your terminal, sir."

Amann and Galadriel took a moment while they considered the matter. It was Amann who spoke in his calm voice.

"Report has been received and read over the network, General. We will dispatch the remainder of the 4th fleet and the entire 1st fleet to your position. The 4th fleet is near your position and can get there first. The 1st Fleet is coming from Alesia and will probably not get there before they do, based on their current speed. I will be there myself. The 2 fleets will give us about 50 cruisers, 3 city ships, 3 destroyers, and 25 battleships combined. That is good enough to defeat any System Lord fleet."

"Yes sir, we will pound those Goa'uld scum into dust."

"We will be there in an hour, until then, hold at all costs."

The screen went blank as Ayen looked over at NABIS.

"Display holographic projection of our fleets, plus the temporal quake zone."

A holographic display popped up. The Alesian ships were numerous in their part of the galaxy, but many were far away from the border, it being Alesian policy that they hide their true strength unless an enemy broke through the border defenses. Ancient characters flashed showing the names of the warships moving in the galaxy. Ayen concentrated as the holographic galaxy was zoomed in on the area where his small detachment was. An orange zone moved toward them that indicated the temporal quake that was traveling toward them. While having no effect on the ships themselves, their sensors were blinded. The 25 or so ships that comprised the 4th Fleet was traveling at top speed to arrive before Anubis did. Ayen ordered all ships to face toward the enemy and to prepare for battle.

_In the fighter bay of the Galadriel…_

Commander Alyen ran down to the fighter bay to her wing of interceptor fighters. She jumped in as the cockpit closed and the interceptor was launched. Her wing followed her out. With an armament of 36 drones and twin rapid fire pulse cannons, her fighter was unmatched by any other fighter known to them. On either side of the wing, dozens of smaller unmanned fighters called Wasps escorted them. They were cheap fodder, designed to swarm an enemy under while the interceptors engaged long range before the dogfight began. She radioed into her fighters to check in.

"Commander Alyen here, all fighters accounted for, General Ayen. Standing by."

"Confirmed Commander. Give our enemy hell. AES Galadriel out."

Alyen turned on her sensors and waited for the enemy.

_Near Rivanna…_

Anubis and his upgraded hataks dropped out of the hyperspace at the edge of the system. Then around them, five hyperspace openings appeared, and ten hataks and five alkesh came out from each. They were from Anubis new shipyards, which has been pouring these ships out since Anubis got his hands on Asgard technology. At Anubis' orders the gliders continued to fly out from the ships and swarmed around the upgraded hataks and Anubis' ship. Normal hataks were divided into groups of five as they moved toward the planet.

Anubis saw the Alesian ships with his scanners, then he noticed something. Only he, with the knowledges of Asgard taken from Thor and from his half-ascension, could see it. The Alesians attempted to adapt to the Protoss weapons. Their shields were stronger now, making normal Hataks unable to do any damage, but the Protoss weapon at 76% definition would be enough. Other hataks were ordered to intercept enemy's beam weapon and the gliders to intercept the drone weapons already.

"Thoth, prime the Protoss weapon to its full power."

"My lord, if we do that, the Protoss weapon would be more powerful, but we will not be able to use the staff cannons, sire."

"Goa'uld weapons will be useless in this battle. What of the Protoss weapon on this ship?"

Thoth bowed.

"We have removed all the staff cannons near the Protoss weapon and thus was able to increase its size six times. It is capable of exerting five times the power."

Anubis turned to look at Thoth

"Five times? Explain this? If you did as I instructed, the power of the weapon should be the same as the size and power input."

Thoth bowed again.

"I have increased the accuracy and the speed of the projectile, my lord."

Anubis nodded.

"Very well. Prepare for battle. Power up the Asgard shield."

A Jaffa bowed and touched the main console. The Orange shield went down and was replaced by a blue coloured shield. Anubis noticed the detachment of ships near Rivanna as his fleet moved in for the attack. The large destroyer he noticed moved forward and began to fire off numerous blue beam weapons at the Ha'taks. The normal Hataks fired their weapons but they were useless. The upgraded Hataks fired dozens of well formed balls of blue energy, streaking toward the Alesian ships. Anubis's ship fired four sets of three shots, each five times larger than the normal Protoss weapon. Anubis's attacks were far more deadly with all except one bolt hitting their targets. However, the number of normal ha'taks were dropping fast. Already 19 hataks fell, and most of the Al'kesh bombers were destroyed.

A hyperspace window is seen as the rest of the Alesian 4th fleet arrived. The new ships consisted of the city ship _Alessiar_, the battleships _Pontus_ and _Arcadia_ along with Aurora class ships _Pieces_, _Eros_, and _Roma_. The escorting ships were 12 more cruisers. More fleets were coming, but they were going to take another 15 minutes to arrive. The engaged fleet covered them by attacking the upgraded Ha'taks as the new arrivals began to fire at Anubis's mothership.

Anubis watched as the Alesian reinforcements entered the theater of war. He chuckled. The Protoss weapon was powerful enough to destroy the smaller ships, and only the cityship would pose any problems. After all, the normal Ha'taks that are being used as shields against the enemy fire can easily be replaced. Anubis personally took over the weapons console and began to direct the upgraded Ha'taks to coordinate their attacks with his. Just before firing, Anubis looked at Thoth.

"Thoth, send for the reserve fleet of Ha'taks from the Cor'nu system and Vel'siv system."

Thoth looked worried.

"My lord, the Ha'taks are ineffective, we might lose all of the un-upgraded Ha'taks."

"They are of no consequence. Call them now."

Then he ordered the ships to fire. He fired at the lead Alesian destroyer. Anubis' ship fired three sets of three shots, and the six upgraded Ha'taks fired fifteen volleys each at the same target. Normal Ha'taks fired upon the disabled ships which have lost their shields.

A shot of beam weapon hit Anubis' ship and the shield held. Feeling only minor quake, Anubis chuckled as he directed fire upon the second target. He saw a shot of beam weapon hit one of the upgraded ha'taks with little effect. As long as the normal ha'taks blocked the enemy attacks, it was just a matter of picking off the enemy one by one. Anubis did notice another two Ha'taks destroyed by the Alesian fleet. Nearly half of the Ha'taks had already fallen.

Anubis fired upon the ships that were already fighting them before the reinforcements came. He fired two sets at each ship, and the upgraded Ha'taks followed Anubis' attacks with volleys of their own.

However, an Alesian ship fired a large wave of drone weapons, and it destroyed two more Ha'taks on its way, as well as at least thirty gliders, and smashed their way into one of the upgraded Ha'taks. The Ha'tak fired its Protoss weapon until the last moment before being blown up.

Meanwhile, Alyen was having a hard time from stopping the gliders from reaching the Alesian fleet. There were so many of them. She trigged off 4 more drones before destroying an Al'kesh with a prolonged burst from her pulse cannons. The Al'kesh drifted in space with its engines destroyed. 2 more drones finished her as she veered her fighter up and destroyed another 2 Death Gliders. She radioed in.

"Squadron 1, destroy the remaining gliders. Squadron 2, punch us a hole through their lines. I want to take out the remaining Al'kesh bombers before they are in range of the fleet."

"Commander, the _Setas_."

She looked to see it on fire as multiple Ha'tak vessels rained fire on her hull.

"Commander Gera, get out of there. Get to the jumpers."

A faint amount of static came with the reply.

"It's too late to get out, our primary systems are hit. We got fire on all decks now. There is nothing we can do but…."

"Gera? Gera!!!"

With a flash, the _Setas_ activated her self destruct and consumed the 7 Ha'taks attacking her in the antimatter detonation from her reactor. Many of the Death gliders were also destroyed from the explosion. She stared distracted at the carnage when the 1st fleet finally arrived from Alesia, with Amann himself controlling the _Angelan_. Identical to her sister ship _Galadriel_, this was the pride of the Alesian fleet.

From his command chair, Amann stared out the window at the battle. With a swift order, his ship moved forward to the Vestra and 3 beams of light lanced out and destroyed a normal Ha'tak. Anubis roared when another fleet of Alesian ships arrived. Since the normal Ha'taks were ineffective, his fleet was outmatched. When the three beam weapons hit his ship, the ships shook violently. Only Anubis was still standing up. Just then, fifty Ha'taks arrived into the fray. Anubis was not impressed.

"Report!"

Thoth quickly got to the main console.

"Shield is holding but is at sixty nine percent."

"Have the Ha'taks block all incoming attacks. Have the upgraded ha'taks to stop firing their normal weapons and rerout all auxillery power to the Protoss weapon. Now!"

"Yes, my lord."

The normal Ha'taks were falling like flies because of the overwhelming firepower of the enemy ships, but the upgraded Ha'taks were quite powerful as well. With deadly accuracy, Anubis fired upon the cityship _Alessiar_. A continuous stream of massive blue bolts fired at the cityship, followed by five remaining upgraded Ha'taks also firing a continuous stream of Protoss weapon.

"I have lost this battle, but I will have that cityship destroyed!"

While continuously firing upon the cityship, Anubis ship and the upgraded Ha'taks moved in closer toward one of the crippled Alesian ships, guarded by the remaining Ha'taks. The _Angelan_ destroyed another 6 normal Ha'taks in quick succession, then it reached one of the upgraded ones firing on the besieged AES _Galadriel_. Amann noticed many of the Ha'taks attempting to exit the fray. Smirking slightly knowing he had won, he ordered the Alesian fleet to pincer move the remaining ships so that only a handful would escape. He broadcasted a message to Anubis as 3 more beam weapons struck down another upgraded Ha'tak. A wave of drones destroyed another ha'tak as most of the normal motherships were destroyed. He opened a hail to Anubis.

He got up and began to speak coldly and harshly.

" Lord Anubis, I am High Councilor Amann of the Alesian Empire. You are fighting a losing battle. More ships are on the way. You are outmatched and outnumbered. "

He paused and then smiled even colder.

"It would be wise to surrender. We might even spare the annoyance that is your life."

Anubis answered by projecting his hologram into the bridge of the Angelan, right in front of Amann.

"So, you are the commander of the fleet. Know that I am Anubis, and I can crush you any time I want to. You are a mere pawn in the grand design. I will take your technology and add it to my own. In time, you shall succumb to my power. Make no mistake, Alesian. I am GOD! You may destroy my empire, and all my soldiers, but 'I' will destroy you in the end. I will generously let you live and win this battle but witness your city-ship being destroyed. I wonder how many people live there."

Then the hologram ended. At his order, all of Anubis's fleet, including the normal Ha'taks and surviving gliders began to fire on the cityship Alessiar at maximum power. The continued barrage from Anubis' ship was like a beam weapon. Hundreds of bolts from Protoss weapon pounded the cityship, followed by the traditional Goa'uld plasma weapons. Anubis watched as his Protoss weapon battered down the Ancient-based shield. In his knowledge of the ascended plane, he knew a cityship's shield was powerful enough to withstand ten years or more of attacks from Wraith Hive Ships, but the Protoss weapon was from a totally different reality in a different galaxy. Their shield would hold only for a while.

Anubis turned and exited the pel'tak followed by Thoth. After a moment, one of the upgraded Ha'taks, opened a hyperspace window and jumped, dragging the crippled destroyer Galadriel and two Ha'taks and several gliders along. A light battleship was also dragged along. Anubis had fled, leaving his flagship to destroy the cityship. Just as the ship opened the hyperspace window, the flagship launched a probe. The same one that deafened the Alesian sensors.

The city ship Alessiar fell back behind the other 2 city ships as the rest of the fleet finally cut through the Ha'tak lines and began to attack the flagship of Anubis. The Angelan led the assault on the survivors. Amann steered the 8 km long warship and fired off a full complement of drones and beam weaponry as the rest of the fleet began to do the same. With a flash, the flagship of Anubis was destroyed with another set of fired beam weapons. The last ships tried to flee, but were gunned down before they were able to jump to hyperspace. The battle was over, with over 100 Ha'taks destroyed, but the Alesians had lost 4 ships in the encounter, with another 2 captured by Anubis.

_To be continued…_


	9. Captured

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 9: Captured**

In the SGC, Cestus was strapped down to the bed, he breathed in and out slowly. He heard footsteps and he quickly pretended to be asleep. He waited until it was next to the bed and he opened his eyes quickly to see Dr. Fraiser holding her notepad. With a sudden surge of energy, he broke free of the straps and grabbed her before she could scream. He whispered slowly in her ear.

"Do as I say and you will not be harmed. Don't do it and I will be forced to kill you. Got it?"

She nodded in understanding and he relaxed his grip a bit. He ordered her to take him to the armory. They walked along empty corridors since it was nighttime and the security was minimal. The door to the armory was seen as they turned another corner. With a sudden thrust of his thumb into a pressure point, she was instantly unconscious and he left her in the armory room as he grabbed his armor and all his weapons. After equipping himself, he cloaked and made his way to the gateroom. He looked in as he saw the 2 airmen sitting at the console chatting about how peaceful it was at night. Tiptoeing quietly, he got within 3 feet of them before they realized there was something there. With a few quick blows, both airmen were down and he dialed the _Astriaporta. _Smirking slightly, he wrote something quickly into the computer and set it to activate 20 seconds after the gate shut down. He realized that it would take a little longer than needed to get to the gateroom before it was blocked off. He pointed his wrist blasters and fired until the glass broke. Only 2 security guards managed to get into the gateroom before he leaped through the opening in the thick glass. They were neutralized before they could fire their M-16's. With a _kawoosh_, the gate was activated as he ran through to Rivanna. His superiors would not be pleased that he was captured, but they would be also glad he had a lot of intelligence and that he managed to escape. A few seconds after the gate deactivated, sparks flew out of the computer that he was typing in and the gate conductors blew out as the virus spread throughout the base. Stargate Command was out of commission for a few days.

_Over Rivanna…_

Amann looked through the reports before throwing them down on the floor. An aide picked them up as he walked to the window in his quarters agitated.

"Dammit!"

"I'm sorry sir, but what is wrong?"

"It's nothing. I am sorry for this Telan. This enemy has technology to challenge us, and now Anubis has one of our most powerful ships in his possession. What technologies could he learn?"

"Well sir, it was not your fault. It happened. Such is war."

"And Galadriel was on that ship! She beamed over to take command of it and now she is captured! Captured by Goa'uld scum! They will probably torture her. She was always the gentle one. If only I could have gone in her place. I'm tougher than she is."

Swearing angrily, Amann punched the metal desk in anger. A large dent appeared as he punched it a few times more to vent his rage. He sat down glancing out. His aide was at a loss for words, having never seen his leader in such a state, not even in over 1,000 years of service. It was Amann who eventually spoke.

"Telan, send for the High Command. I want an invasion plan for Anubis's territory and a broadcast to the System Lords opposing Anubis. We have to deal with Anubis now. Our isolation is over. The battle for the Milky Way Galaxy has just begun and we will need all the allies we can get our hands on. I wish to speak to Ba'al and Lord Yu immediately for an alliance. They are the ones most opposed to Anubis. Do it. I will get my sister back even if it means I have to invade with every ship we have. Go now and inform the others."

Telan left Amann's quarters as Amann stood outside watching the planet below him. So green and peaceful, yet he knew that planets like this will be burned before he saw the end of this current crisis. He got up and made his way to the bridge to talk with his generals.

_Over Tartarus…_

Anubis returned to Tartarus with an upgraded Ha'tak and all that he dragged along. He immediately sent down his Kull Warriors to ring down on to the Alesian ship to capture it. On the orbit of the planet were massive shiyards and drydocks, and nearly seventy Ha'taks. Twelve Ha'taks were inside the drydock, having Protoss weapon and other upgrades applied to them. The shiyards were building four ha'taks already with upgrades. Three larger shipyards near the moon were building Apophis' motherships, with the upgrades. On the other side of the planet were two groups of five shipyards, building a strange round ship. One of them was nearly complete, having its top part being added.

Thoth followed Anubis down to the planet.

"When the Kull Warriors have finished with the Alesians, send down the prisoner, and go up there and begin the analysis of their technology."

"As you wish, my lord."

The dozen Kull Warriors entered through the ring platform. They used their wrist weapon to mow down the enemy. The Kull Warrior armour was not of Ancient based technology, but of ChiYou. ChiYou and his clan were superior in metallurgy than even the Asgard or Ancients, thanks to their dominance over the alien technologies of the Garuda. However it was similar to the Alesian armor.

The armor absorbed any kind of energy weapon, even their own wrist blasters, which was an Ancient based technology. The Jaffa came behind the Kull Warriors along with more Kull Warriors. However, the Jaffa staff weapons were ineffective against the personal shields and the armor of the Alesian soldiers. Following them were a group of special Kull Warriors, recently made by Anubis to something unique. They did not have weapons but strange metal claws. These creatures stuck their claws at nearby consoles and any circuitry. Metallic tentacles spread through the consoles and began to download the database of the ship, sending the data directly to the planet below via subspace link.

Anubis' mothership shortly arrived from hyperspace, and Hre'ack, Anubis' First Prime appeared on a screen, "My lord Anubis, the battle is a success, for we have brought with us two enemy ships. The weapon nearly destroyed the targeted cityship. However we have the destroyer that destroyed many of the Ha'taks. We also have a smaller craft as well. Shall I board it, my lord?"

Hre'rak was a young Jaffa soldier that had come into the service of Anubis when his former master had been killed against Anubis, he had shortly been made his first prime at that. Personally, Anubis was rather surprised that Hre'rak not only survived to return, but capture ships. Anubis did not mind losing his Prime, after all there are still millions of Jaffa. However, Anubis agreed with his competence.

"You have done well. You are worthy to be my Prime. Board the ships and bring me back prisoners. Send the ships to the drydocks to be repaired."

Then he turned to Thoth who just entered the room.

"Speak."

Thoth bowed.

"The Kull Warriors are meeting some resistance on board their ship, my lord. Their soldiers are wearing personal shields and energy blades. The Jaffa are being slaughtered. Their weapons are simply being absorbed. Even the Kull warriors are having a hard time. The Alesians are even stronger than they are, though the stun grenades are working."

"Let them be slaughtered. The Kull Warriors will do the job. Are you recording the data being transmitted?"

"The downloading just began, my lord."

"Good. Now I shall have Ancient technology that I can actually use. Recall all my commanders to Tartarus. Retreat from all battle and have all Ha'taks return to the nearest shipyards. We have major upgrades to implement."

"As you will, my lord."

Anubis watched as the Alesian ship data seemed to stop. He turned to Thoth.

"Well?"

"We have some data downloaded, my lord."

Anubis mused.

"We should have more than this. What data did you get?"

"The designations of the Alesian ships, and some schematics of the enemy beam weapon, my lord."

"What of the Drone weapons?"

Thoth cowered in fear.

"A thousand apologies, my lord. The Alesians have initiated deletion of data as soon as they discovered that we were tapping into their syst..."

Thoth choked as Anubis stretched his left hand forth as if he was using a hand device. There was no device.

"Unacceptable! I want that weapon. I will have what I need in the end. All shall fall before me in supplication. Bring me the data on the beam weapons and a schematic of a ha'tak."

Thoth gasped and nodded as Anubis released his grip.

Hre'rak appeared on the screen.

"My lord, the Kull Engineers report that they have been cut off from the main data bank, but they have found a code to stop the self destruction."

"I want prisoners, Hre'rak. Stop the self destruction, and get me the prisoners."

"Yes, my lord."

Almost immediately Hre'rak appeared on all three ships on a screen,

"People of the Alesians. I am Hre'rak, First Prime of my Lord Anubis. I give a message from my Lord to you all. Surrender yourselves, and you will live, otherwise, your homeworld will die by Lord Anubis' hands."

Hre'rak was interrupted as a Ninja Jaffa noticed the sudden power output from the ship closer to the dockyard. Without a word he began seeking a trace route, as he did so he spoke, "jesut diko!" Promptly information was sent, and Hre'rak spoke again.

"Those of you that have started the self destruct hear this, it is in vain to do so. Lord Anubis will destroy your homeworld unless you surrender to me now. You are out manned and out gunned."

The screens turned off. Hre'rak turned towards the Ninja Jaffa.

"Disable that with the info you have."

"It's too late. The smaller ship has just activated."

With a bright blue flash, the Aurora-class ship blew up her antimatter reactor. 300 crewmen were instantly killed as thousands of Jaffa were instantly incinerated in a 10 mile radius. The AES _Galadriel_ however was in for a surprise. Galadriel and Ayen watched as the timer reached 0..... There was shock as nothing happened, somehow the Jaffa of Anubis had stopped the self destruct. The fighting stopped as the crew surrendered, but there were many thousands of dead Jaffa at their feet. Only the sudden appearance of the Kull Warriors managed to hurt them. But, the Alesians had managed to delete all of the data in the computers and write over it to make the data unrecoverable. Ayen led his crew out to the waiting Kull warriors. He smiled at them and actually laughed.

" So, there is a foe worthy of us? Impressive such a primitive race can actually copy some of our armor technology. Legionnaires, throw down your weapons."

The Kull Warriors and Jaffa led the Alesians to the nearby base. The Jaffa approached cautiously, not wanting to get too close. The Alesian soldiers even smirked at them. Two Kull Warriors grabbed Ayen and led him to Anubis' chamber. They threw Ayen down on to the floor, in front of Anubis, who was looking at a console. Anubis turned.

"I am Anubis. You will tell me all you know, and more."

Anubis waved his hand, and Thoth, who was nearby, brought him a small box. Inside were mind probing devices Anubis used on Thor.

"Let's see if you can resist a mind probe longer than an Asgard did."

Then Anubis looked into Ayen's face, and Ayen could see Anubis full on. Ayen raised his eyebrow.

"So you are half-ascended......Impressive....and here I thought you were just another pathetic parasite. My apologies. As for your mind probes, we have similar devices we use to interrogate prisoners and my mind is well conditioned to resist these devices. "

Hre'rak appeared shortly as if he had been called for, behind him were a pair of Kull Warriors, and a single engineer Kull, between the normal Kulls they held Ish'ta, who was, for the most part, trying to remain calm, but was completely freaked out at the sight of Anubis.

"My Lord, If this one is resistant to the mind probe, I highly doubt this one is"

He said pointing towards Ish'ta with his staff. He then motioned the Kull forwards, it carried a small data screen.

"The Kull Engineers have found tampering to the database of the ship, however, they have managed to find an odd codex, Thoth is working on breaking the code to get to the information as we speak Master."

Ish'ta was thrown down to the floor where she stared at Ayen in disbelief. She spoke in a low voice.

"De'lac?"

"Yes Ish'ta, it is I, though that is not my true name."

"When we get out of here, I am going to kill you for lying to me about being a Jaffa and running away when you were supposely killed."

"I'm sorry Ish'ta, but I was supposed to encourage the resistance you formed. It was the only way to help my people."

Anubis ignored the bickering and turned toward Hre'rak.

"You have done very well, Hre'rak. You shall be greatly rewarded for your competence."

Anubis inserted the mind probes into the brains of Ayen and Ish'ta.

"Resistance is useless. I am Anubis, and you will tell me all I want to know. I will not make the same mistake as I did with Thor."

A Kull Engineer brought two large orbs with many crystals on them. They were portable memory drives not connected to outside computers, but allowing direct access.

Osiris entered the chamber followed by Tanith. They bowed. Osiris spoke.

"Congratulations on your victory, my lord. I hear you have quite a prize."

"Report!"

"Morrigan is falling back, and her fleet has lost another fifteen ha'taks under my assault."

Tanith spoke up, cutting Osiris off. Osiris did not seem pleased.

"Subjugating unaligned human planets are going well, but there weren't many technologies to be used. Also, I have detected odd hyperspace signature on my way here. It was similar to an Asgard engine."

Osiris scoffed.

"The days of bowing before the Asgard are over. Our ships are now as powerful as theirs. We shall crush them."

Anubis waved the two prisoners back to their cells, and turned back to face Osiris and Tanith.

"Indeed. I will destroy the Asgard for meddling with Goa'uld affairs. However, there are no Asgard ships in this region of the galaxy. The only other race with even some of the Asgard technology is the Tauri."

The two underlords looked interested.

"I suspect that ChiYou is trying to ally himself to Earth since he has awakened. I will destroy the Tauri and their planet Earth soon enough. When I capture ChiYou, I will get my hand on his warship the _Garuda_, and decipher the truth about his technologies."

The two Goa'uld bowed and left.

Ayen resisted the mind probe as he fought long and hard. He eventually was successful in shutting it down within his brain and looked at anubis smugly.

"Well, if that is the best you are able to do........I am disappointed. Alesian mind probes are far more sophisicated devices."

Hre'rak shortly appeared within Anubis' throne room.

"My Lord, the Alesian has managed to get past the control matrix for the mind probe device, however the female Jaffa is weak and her mind is easily penetrated, we have her within a cell within which she is connected to the probe, there is a planet not far from here wherein many female Jaffa reside, unguarded. The male has been taken to a cell, he has been stripped of his armor and weapons and placed within a gravity cell."

Hre'rak then went silent as Thoth appeared and bowed.

"My Lord Anubis, The Kull Engineers have traced the code and have found data on many of the Alesian ships, their homeworld of Alesia on the far side of the Galaxy. And the records show that there are only enough ships to wage a limited offensive campaign without risking their homeworld."

Anubis paused and tapped on the console.

"The mind probe is a hybrid technology of Protoss and Ancient technologies. His attempt to resist the mind probe have already given us enough informations about them."

Then he turned to Thoth.

"Well done. Soon I will assemble a great armada and conquer the Alesians... but they are not so easy a prey to fall by simply capturing their homeworld."

One of the Jaffa entered and bowed.

"My lord Anubis, Lord Zipacna and Lord Setesh have arrived."

"Bring them all here. I will meet with them."

_A few hours later…_

Anubis sat on his throne with Osiris, Tanith, Zipacna and Setesh kneeling before him.

"Zipacna, report!"

"Already half of Olokun's territory is now yours, my lord. I have crippled the mainstay of his fleet and he has been cornered near his border with Baal. I believe that if we push him too fast and too hard, then he will capitulate to Baal rather than to us."

Anubis nodded then turned to look at Setesh.

"You have done me a great service, though it did not last for long. I want you to fight the Tauri."

"My lord?"

"ChiYou will try to get to their world. I want ChiYou. You need to track him down and bring him before me. Worry not of the intervention of the Asgard. They are no longer a hinderance to my conquest."

"As you wish, my lord."

Anubis turned to the large window.

"Now I have gift for each of your. Behold your new flagships!"

Outside, five Apophis' motherships decloaked.

"They are equipped with superior shields, cloaking technology, better weapons and a Protoss weapon. It will be enough to conquer the System Lords."

Before anyone could say anything, he chuckled and raised both hands.

"Now, watch as I reveal my flagship. Fortress ship Ha'nutak!"

A massive structure decloaked. On its underside was a large four-sided pyramid, with a triangular pyramid of Apophis' Ha'tak next to each of the flat sides. These pyramids were built upon a thick superstructure like Apophis' mothership. On the topside, everything was same except the rectangular pyramid, which was larger on the bottom half, then there was a step and the top half was same size as the on the bottom. It was huge.

"I have several new upgrades that need to be completed, but it is the height of my technology! It's firepower is capable of destroying entire fleets!"

The four goa'uld showed fear and awe on their face. Zipacna managed to congratulate Anubis.

"Most brilliant, my lord."

"Yes. Go now."

Anubis sat for a while looking into his console. Hre'rak came.

"My lord, you have sent for me?"

"Yes. Bring the two prisoners and the computer core that are connected to them."

"At once, my lord."

Hre'rak left and was back a few minutes later with Ayen and Ish'ta. Anubis looked at them and gestured at Ish'ta.

"Well, Ish'ta of Hak'tyl. You have just told me all you know of the Tau'ri and your code for opening their iris. I am sure that they are no longer valid, but it gives me some ideas."

Then he turned to Ayen.

"You have resisted well, Alesian. However, your attempt to shut down the probe allowed the probe to break into your thoughts tiny bit. It is enough for now. You will tell me all you know of your homeworld."

Ayen smiled and spat on the floor. He spoke in contempt.

"You and your pathetic race are no match for the Empire. My leader is strong and will break your half-ascended abomination with his own power. He was once ascended too and he retains much of that power. Your Jaffa and even the Kull warriors will fall before the might of the Empire. That is all you need to know of my world you leeching parasite."

Anubis chuckled.

"Yes, if I was any other Ascended or half-ascended being, that may be the case. Unfortunately for you, the rest of the Ascended beings will stop your leader from harming me directly if he ascends. He can only rely upon his technology, and I will have them soon enough. Now, you will tell me about your beam weapon. I have managed to re-create it, but it needs some more work. You will tell me now!"

Anubis reached forth with his left hand as if using a hand device. Black energy issued forth from the hand and reached into Ayen's head like the beam from the hand device. Ayen grunted in concentration and managed to brush off the dark energy issuing from Anubis. He looked up and said grimly.

"Amann managed to find a loophole where he can use a more powerful form of himself. It is true he cannot ascend fully and use all of his power, but he can be half ascended and do so. I am sure with his superior knowledge, he will defeat you simply with his will. You think yourself so powerful and wise Anubis. You have much to learn."

Anubis sneered.

"It is you who has much to learn. I already know all there is know of your leader Amann. He may be powerful, but if he interferes with power beyond the limit that the Ascended Ancients have set up, then he will be recalled by the Ascended or be banished. If I wanted I could do as much as he can, if not more, but I walk the line, Alesian. If your leader happens to cross that line, which I hope he does, then he will be removed and I will have no opposition."

Anubis connected the portable computer and connected it to the console.

"I have what I want, but there are somethings that still needs to be explained. You will tell me all you know, even if you don't want to tell me anything."

"My lord, we have the Tau'ri access code for their gateshield system."

Hre'rak said speaking up from a computer console as date scrolled across a screen from Ish'ta's mind probe.

"We also have information that Mol'oc is now dead and his army is leaderless."

"That I already know. Ba'al has been capturing Moloc's planets easily, and the death of Moloc was suspected. However, it is of no concern. How are the new ships and shipyards coming on?"

Thoth bowed.

"We have constructed another nine shipyards and they are producing ships by the dozens, sire. We will soon match the number of ships in the combined force of the System Lords."

"Good. Have Osiris use the stargate to conquer Moloc's planets not yet in the hands of Ba'al."

""Yes, my lord."

Anubis walked closer to Ish'ta. He touched her face and lifted it up by her chin.

"So you are Ish'ta of Hak'tyl. It is a foolish endevour, I tell you, little mortal. How can you imagine the lives without the gods to give them purpose? You exist only to serve the god, me. Serve me, and I shall grant you a new purpose. You shall become my instrument in conquest of the galaxy."

She spat on the floor.

"I do not serve false gods."

Anubis laughed.

"I am a god, and you will be witness to my full power soon enough. Your Jaffa rebellion will fall as will your human and Alesian allies."

Anubis sent away Ayen and Ish'ta and went back to his throne and studied the data on his console.

_Down in the cells…_

Ayen stared at the gravity cell and looked toward Ish'ta, Galadriel, and the 20 or so soldiers imprisoned.

"So, any ideas on how to get out of here?"

Galadriel spoke in her calm voice.

"This is very bad, General Ayen. We need to escape before my identity is discovered. It was clever of you to disguise me as your aide, but sooner or later Anubis will find out and he will definitely put a mind probe on me. I am probably strong enough to defeat it, but he will still gain some information. That cannot be allowed. My brother is probably worried sick over me."

Ish'ta spoke next.

"So you are all Alesians. That would explain who you are, De'lac."

She hit Ayen with her fist and he was stunned as she stared at him in fury.

"You lied to me. You were my husband and you left when the rebellion needed you most."

"Ish'ta, I told you before, I was ordered to do it. I had no choice in the matter."

"That is no excuse. You could have told me. Instead you spied on us and then you left."

"I can…..only ask that you forgive me, Ish'ta. Right now, we got more important things to do like get out of here. These gravity cells are hard to override. I might be able to reach the top part of the opening if I am able to jump high enough, but it is risky."

Galadriel spoke up.

"Why not have a few Alesians stand on each other and try to get to the top."

"We need to be quick, Councilor. If we do that, the Jaffa will likely notice and shoot us. Without any of our armor or shields, we would die. I need to surprise them by jumping up there and killing the guards."

"Wait, I hear something. Listen!"

Footsteps were being heard as Hre'rak stood over the opening.

"You, the blonde one. Come with me now."

One of the soldiers rushed at Hre'rak. One of the Jaffa shot him with his staff weapon and he stumbled, but not before he killed the Jaffa by snapping his neck. Hre'rak dodged the swing from the Alesian before killing him with another staff blast to the chest.

"Come now, Councilor Galadriel. Anubis awaits."

Galadriel walked forward in her white robes.

"Fear not, General Ayen. I am strong."

The gravity field was reactivated as Galadriel was marched toward Anubis.

_To be continued…_


	10. Escape

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 10: Escape**

Anubis sat on his black throne when Galadriel was brought in by 2 Kull warriors. She did not look afraid, merely curious as if analyzing an insect. It was with a calm voice she spoke.

"Well Lord Anubis. I suppose it is clever of you to capture me. One would assume you gotten all of the information that you could out of the others you have mind probed. However, it is good that we have destroyed a significant part of your fleet. Now that I have stated the obvious, why go to such lengths to capture me? I am of little use to you since I cannot tell you anything that you do not already know. And your mind probes are ineffective against our physiology. A more obvious target would have been to capture Amann, who knows everything that goes on in the Empire, even more than I do. Well?"

Anubis chuckled.

"I would have greatly enjoy capturing Amann, but unfortunately he has made many new and powerful friends. Not only that, he is currently allied with the Tauri, and because Tauri is under the protection of the Asgard. I am certain that I will have other uses for you."

Anubis gestured Galadriel forward. The Kull Warriors grabbed her and brought her closer to Anubis. Anubis lowered himself a bit and stared at her. His mask glowed and the ascended form of Anubis appeared.

"I assure you, Galadriel, your stay here will be most enjoyable... for me!"

Then Anubis composed himself and ordered the mind probe to be put into her mind and taken back to her cell. Hre'rac appeared and bowed. Anubis spoke up.

"Report."

"Lord Yu is launching an offensive at Katan. The garrison cannot hold out for long."

"Very well, ready my new flagship and most of my remaining Ha'taks. We depart for Katan now."

Anubis got up and ringed to his new flagship. Galadriel walked with the Kull escorts and was thrown into the gravity cell with General Ayen and the others. They all asked her if she was alright, but she smiled gently and nodded. As bad as their situation was, the information Anubis could get out of most of the soldiers was limited at best. As the Jaffa began to talk to each other, another two Jaffa came around the corner. They simply walked to where the guards were standing. Suddenly, one of the guards pulled out a knife and thrusted it into the other guard's neck, stifling a shout and killing the Jaffa instantly while his 2 partners killed the other guards with their staff weapons. The Jaffa quickly turned off the gravity cell. The guard entered the cell. He spoke in the deep voice signifying that of a Goa'uld .

"I am the Tok'ra Himoen. These two are of the rebel Jaffa, and they had insisted that we rescue you. You must hurry before Anubis or other Jaffa returns."

A rebel Jaffa tossed Ish'ta a zat and a vial of Tretonin.

"Bra'tac said that he, you and Teal'c take this drug to maintain your strength even without the symbiote. We must hurry!"

The other rebel Jaffa pointed at Ayen and spoke to Himoen.

"What about this one? Is he important enough to rescue?"

Himoen walked up to the Alesians and spoke.

"Who are you?"

"I am General Ayen of the Alesian Empire. If you help me, you will have 5000 first rate troops that can fight even Kull warriors. We can escape through the stargate and perhaps even recapture the ship we flew here in. If not, we can blow it up. Help me and I will ensure Anubis loses a great deal here today. Your choice Tok'ra. "

Ayen folded his arms and waited.

Ish'ta caught the zat, but nearly missed the drug tossed to her.

"So the Tok'ra have infilterated this stronghold? Thank you Himoen. But can you get this thing off me please."

She pointed to the probe that was against her neck at the shoulder line. Himoen motioned to one of the rebel Jaffa to remove the devices. Within a minute all of the probes were removed and the dead guard was placed within the cell. Himoen and the rebel Jaffa quickly led the prisoners through the corridors toward the rest of the prison ward. Ayen grabbed a knife and a wrist blaster. He intended to kill the Kull warriors that guarded the blockhouse where all of his men were. If they got free, they could easily recover their weapons and take back control of their ships. If they could not fly, they would be blown up and they would escape. However, there were several Kull Warriors as well as a dozen Jaffa guarding the wards. Ayen shoved a knife into a Kull warrior and killed him instantly. He charged another one with superhuman speed and sliced across the neck with the knife. The Kull warrior fell decapitated. The remaining Kull Warriors began to run, following behind Ayen. The doors were closing and locking, and Ayen was cut off from Himoen and others as the door closed. Behind him were four Kull Warriors turning the corner, and anther Kull Warrior coming behind them. Then as the four Kulls aimed at Ayen, the single Kull behind them fired its wrist blasters into the back of the Kulls, killing them. The lone Kull took off the helmet and approached Ayen. It was not a Kull but a person. He spoke in a Goa'uld voice.

"You are cut off from Himoen. I am Nedock, Himoen and I have been the spies among Anubis' ranks. I could not have you killed or captured. I know an alternate route out, so follow me. There is a ring platform that is linked to one of the Alkesh that is docked on the drydock for upgrade. We can take that to escape."

"Negative, I must free my soldiers. Is there a way to do that?"

"If we can get to the control room and kill the Goa'uld guarding it, we might be able to turn off the gravity devices, but the Kull Warriors are still patrolling the prison wards in large numbers. Your people will be slaughtered. Are you sure?"

" They will be killed and tortured if we do nothing, at least if some survive......its better than nothing."

Nedock put the helmet back on.

"Follow me."

Ayen followed Nedock, holding his Alesian weapons in front of him.

Nedock pretended to be another Kull Warrior and Ayen his prisoner. They silently walked to the control center, where a minor Goa'uld sat on a chair surrounded by two Kull Warriors and six Jaffa. The goa'uld saw Nedock and Ayen.

"What is this? The escaped prisoner?"

Nedock nodded. The Goa'uld rose with malicious grin on his face.

"You will pay for your insolence, prisoner. I will have to answer to Lord Anubis for the damage I cause on you, but it will be worth it."

Then as the Goa'uld raised his hand device, Nedock raised both arms and fired into the two Kull Warriors, eventually punching into the armor and killing them. Ayen took out the hidden weapon and killed the Goa'uld. The Jaffa quickly fired their staff weapons, but protected by Nedock's armor, Ayen and Nedock quickly killed off the Jaffa and locked the control center's doors.

"Good work, Ayen of Alesia."

"Same. Let's free the prisoners and get out of here."

"Not many venture in the complex unless in pairs. We must be careful."

As he and Ayen walked the hall between cells turning the gravity fields off at each one. Ayen went along, freeing Alesians, most were unharmed but were angry and eager to fight and escape. They found their armor in adjacent rooms and were pleased to find it had been untouched, Anubis having his engineers work on the beam weapon schematics. His men gathered in the long corridor, Ayen spoke up.

"The ship is near but guarded. We will probably overwhelm them quickly, as we outnumber them by quite a lot and we are superior soldiers, but we will have the whole planet on us if we don't get the ship up quickly. For Alesia!"

The soldiers activated their plasma blades and raised them up high.

"For Alesia!"

Ayen and the soldiers formed columns and began to storm the Alesian destroyer sitting in the dockyard. The ship had a few patrols of Jaffa surrounding the ship, in a few minutes every Jaffa outside the ship was killed as the soldiers ran into the ship itself. Ayen ran with a company of the soldiers as they encountered 2 of the Kull warriors near the bridge. The Kulls fired at the Alesians. Ayen snarled in fury and ran at the Kulls. He thrust his plasma blade into the stomach of the Kull warrior. It continued to fire its weapon into the shield until it died. The other Kull was overwhelmed by the sheer firepower of the Alesian soldiers and it fell with a thump. Ayen smiled as the bridge was retaken and the ship was secured. The antimatter reactor was fired up as the 5 mile long ship raised in the air gracefully. A Ha'tak tried to impede its progress by firing its plasma weapons into the top part of the ship, but a swarm of drones quickly neutralized it. The AES Galadriel jumped into hyperspace and made its way to Rivanna. The destroyer and all of her men managed to escape, but not without Anubis managing to acquire many new technologies. Amann was in his quarters when he was alerted to the presence of the destroyer exited hyperspace over Rivanna. The Alesian fleet was hovering over the planet as Amann made his way to the bridge. He sat down in his control chair and opened a channel.

"This is Councilor Amann, how did you manage to escape from Anubis, General? Is Galadriel safe?"

"Yes she is, and it is a long story."

As Ayen relayed the story, the smile grew on Amann's face until he burst out laughing.

"I bet Anubis is gonna be pissed that he had you and then lost you. Beam Councilor Galadriel over to my quarters, I will meet her shortly. AES Angelan out."

Amann got up and went back to his quarters. He opened the door to find Galadriel standing there looking tired but unharmed. He ran forward and hugged her. She grimaced in pain.

"Brother, I know you care and all, but please not so hard. You are crushing my ribs."

Amann let his grip slacken a bit and whispered in her ear.

"I thought I had lost you dear sister. It is good to see you alright."

"For a while, I didn't think we would make it out either. Without the Tok'ra, we would not have made it out alive. We must properly thank them. They are on our ship."

"I will meet them and thank them personally. You mean more to me than anyone else. I will not lose you again. Stay with me a while, matters can wait for a bit before I have to attend to them."

Amann and Galadriel sat down in chairs next to the window and stared out over the planet and the stars. Neither of them said a word. It seemed as if hours passed, but it was only a little while before Amann got up and went to his desk to work. Galadriel watched him with her green eyes and smiled. Her brother was always dedicated to his work. A respectful knock came on the door and Amann looked up in annoyance.

"Enter!"

The door opened as Himoen and Nedock walked in. They walked to the desk and sat when Amann gestured to.

"Welcome, representatives of the Tok'ra. Thanks to your efforts, our ship and its crew were recovered. More importantly, you have also rescued my sister and for that you have my gratitude, and the gratitude of mighty Alesia and her great Empire. Your people will be vastly rewarded. I will meet with your council to discuss the alliance. For now, you will be assigned quarters onboard the Angelan. I wish to show you my homeworld and I will accept an ambassador from both the Terrans and the Tok'ra. Go now and enjoy your stay. The officer down the hall from your quarters will see to any needs you may require."

"Thank you, councilor. I am sure the Tok'ra will be pleased with an alliance."

"Yes, and I will help renew your numbers once more. Good day."

Amann smiled and the act made him seem a lot warmer than he normally was. The two Tok'ra left and he sat back in his comfortable chair thinking of what must be done. Galadriel stood up and moved to sit next to her brother. She knew her brother was flighty and prone to breakdowns if too much stress was placed on him, even though he was always the strong one. Her mind smoothed his mind over and he relaxed. Another knock at the door and he sat up and told them to enter. General Ayen walked in.

"What is it, General?"

"We have received a response from the humans on Earth, Councilor. Their President wants to meet you on their base personally. The soldier we sent into their base also managed to get back to us unharmed. He has already been debriefed."

"Very well, General. I will meet with this President of theirs in one day."

Amann and Galadriel looked at each other and nodded. It was going to be an interesting meeting.

_To be continued…_


	11. Trials and Treaties

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 11: Trials and Treaties**

A flash was seen as the flagship of Anubis returned to Tartarus. As Anubis approached the planet he sensed that something was wrong. The Alesian ship was missing. He immediately contacted the planet. Thoth bowed on the screen.

"Thoth, report!"

"My lord, I have received reports that the prisoners have escaped"

"Unacceptable! I also see that the captured Alesian ship is MISSING! You and others will be punished!"

Anubis roared in fury and cut the transmission. Anubis was truly enraged. Hre'rak bowed. Anubis gestured him to rise.

"Only you have not disappointed me, Hre'rak. Continue to do so, and I shall be pleased."

"Thank you, my lord."

"The attack by Lord Yu was repelled. My flagship has performed well. However, there are bigger concerns. How many ships have been assembled?""

"My lord, we have three of the new motherships you have designed and ten motherships of Apophis' design, and these ships have been fitted with the beam weapon of the Alesians and the Protoss weapon as well. Also, there are fifteen Apophis motherships equipped with the Protoss weapon, 36 Hataks with Protoss weapon and new shields, 77 Hataks with new shields, and 146 un upgraded Hataks. There are still another 168 Hataks that are arriving and being upgraded right now."

"How long before those 168 ships are ready?"

"About a week, my lord. It will take more time for the rest of the new ships to arrive. Even with the new technologies, the ships are difficult to make, but we are building ships much faster than the System Lords are."

"When will they be ready to join the fleet, and how many of them?"

"About 58 of them will be ready within ten days, my lord."

"I will not risk fighting the Alesians with a fleet that is not ready."

"But, my lord, this is the largest fleet ever assembled in the history of the Goa'uld Empire. There will be over 500 ships, my lord."

"That is true, however, the Goa'uld Empire have not been under a single ruler. It will soon be so, and then I shall command a fleet far larger than this. I will not land on Tartarus this day. Bring six upgraded Ha'taks and a small escort of Alkesh, and set a course for planet Irush."

Hre'rak looked up.

"Irush, my lord? That is the territory of Kali. She has formidable defences, my lord."

"She does. Let the System Lords know that I will take Irush, then Mark'kara, Traxion, Brigas and Eltesh."

"Mark'kara is of Bastet, Traxion is of Morrigan, Brigas of Ba'al and Eltesh of Yu. You will attract their attention, my lord. They will bring everything they have to dare fight you."

"I expect them to do so. I will show them my might."

"As you wish my Lord"

Hre'rak said bowing and issuing the order, minutes later the battle group was ready and work put into place for more workers to upgrade the other Ha'taks of the fleet as Anubis and the battle group jumped to Hyperspace for Irush, a planet of Kali.

_Near Rivanna…_

A Ha'tak approached the planet. Amann was informed immediately and he was on the bridge of the Angelan within a minute.

"Commander, report!"

"A Ha'tak is approaching the fleet, Councilor. It is hailing us."

"Very well, onscreen."

The screen flashed as Lord Ba'al appeared on the screen. Amann spoke crisply.

"Lord Ba'al. I am Amann, High Councilor of the Alesian Empire. You have requested an alliance against Anubis. We both share a common enemy and with similar interests. Anubis threatens both of us due to his gathering of both Ancient and Protoss technology. My question is, do you speak for all of the System Lords or only for yourself?"

Amann looked intently into Ba'al's eyes. A cold but curious expression flitted across his face. Ba'al nodded in acknowledgement and smiled charmingly.

"While I'd like to ally with you as a representative of the entire Goa'uld domain, other System Lords are too short-sighted to see the bigger picture. Not even Lord Yu, who is fiercely opposed to Anubis, would seek to form an alliance with anyone other then the Goa'uld. I am more open minded, and I seek this alliance for myself. If I can reap victories over Anubis by allying with you, other System Lords, however releuctant, will have to agree with me."

He sipped the drink.

"As you are no doubt aware, Anubis has somehow amassed impressive technologies, which does not bode well for any of us. The System Lords are resisting, but Olokun has nearly fallen and his empire is now in tatters. I am organizing the System Lords to form a combined fleet large enough to get to Anubis himself, and destroy him. However, his fleet is large, and if you could hold down some one third to half of his fleet, then perhaps we can destroy Anubis. Of course, this is still some time off, since persuading the System Lords is a task most difficult."

Amann frowned and finally spoke.

"I understand that you are doing this for yourself. I recently won a victory over Anubis where my fleet destroyed over 100 ha'tak vessels. I did lose 5 ships to Anubis, which was unexpected and should not have happened. I got fleets deploying in theater. It is going to take some time before all forces are ready. I am sure we can pin most of Anubis's fleet down. However..."

Amann paused for breath.

"Anubis cannot be killed. He has no corporeal form. He is stuck between ascension and our plane of existence. Even I am unsure what we can do against something like that. Perhaps we should just kill all of his forces and then take the Stargate off the planet so he is stranded. But I do think the better idea is to use one of my people's devices to trap energy based beings into it and imprison him until we can kill him."

Ba'al raised one of his eyebrows.

"I see. You have a way to imprison him. That sounds good. I am sure that I can take care of his fleet once Anubis is out of the picture, but even destroying his current position will be impossible for me to do it alone. I will need the full support of the System Lords. I think I can amass enough ships within a month. But, we have word that Anubis is moving to attack Kali's territory. This can be an opportunity to destroy much of his forces. Will you assist our forces in defeating the attacking force?"

Amann nodded.

"I will see what I can do, however I will be meeting with the Earth representatives soon enough. Our combined forces should be enough to take down Anubis."

Amann then looked very sternly at Ba'al.

"I must warn you however. Betrayal will be rewarded with swift retribution. However, adhere to the agreement and we can have an era of peace between our empires. Send me the coordinates of the target and we will deal with it. AES Angelan out."

The transmission cut off as Amann looked at the commander who would be in command.

"Tell Governor Aldaras I will be down shortly. Have a small detachment of the 1st Legion beam down with me. I will go to Earth with 4 guards and Galadriel. Send word to me if anything turns up and have the Angelan and a few escorts arrive near Earth. Just in case."

The Commander nodded and Amann disappeared in a flash of light near the Stargate with Galadriel and his escorts. The Stargate chevrons began to light up as they awaited for the gate to open.

_Near Irush…_

Ba'al had returned to his capital world and summoned his fleet to him. Then he sent transmissions to the System Lords for a meeting. The screen showed Lord Yu, Kali, Aries and Camulus.

Ba'al spoke first.

"I have recently come to an arrangement with the Alesians to fight our common enemy, Anubis. However, they will not assist us unless we bring the full might of the System Lords' power combined."

Kali answered.

"Have you not heard, Ba'al? Anubis is gathering his fleet to strike us down in one fell swoop."

Ba'al turned to Lord Yu.

"Lord Yu, despite our differences, you and I share the common goal of defeating Anubis. What say you?"

"That's what I have been proposing to the System Lords."

Camulus interjected.

"Yes, but we do not like the idea of putting our fleet in your hands, Lord Yu."

Yu growled, but Aries cut into the conversation.

"What could these Alesians have that they can possibly offer us?"

Ba'al smiled.

"They are descendents of the Ancients, and therefore they have powerful technology. They have agreed to bog down Anubis' main fleet while we attack his lieutenants."

Yu glowered at Ba'al.

"What if they try to destroy us after Anubis? If they are so powerful, they are a danger to us as well."

"We are Goa'ulds. Once we take Anubis' technology and his forces, and divide them among us, our combined power will be enough to overwhelm them because they are weary from war."

System Lord Bastet appeared on the screen. Ba'al smiled.

"Welcome, Bastet."

"You fools! Have you not heard? Anubis just proclaimed that he will take Irush, Mark'kara, Traxion, Brigas and Eltesh. He dared to challange us to bring our combined might."

At that time, the First Primes of the System Lords whispered to their masters, and Ba'al could see them on the screen, just as his own First Prime entered the chamber. Ba'al raised his hand and everyone went quiet.

"If Anubis is so foolish to challenge us, then we shall oblige. Convince others to join this battle as well."

The System Lords all nodded and cut communications. Ba'al turned to his First Prime.

"Bring me my reserve fleet and the new ships. We are going for a fight."

_On Earth…_

An Asgard Daniel Jackson class science vessel entered Earth orbit with two escorting Beliskner class warships.

An Asgard beamed next to General Hammond. Hammond spoke first.

"Hello, I am General George Hammond of the SGC. Welcome to StarGate Command."

"I know who you are, general. I am Kvesir, I don't think we have been introduced yet. I am here because Thor thought that you would need a mediator with the Alesians."

"Well, thank you. We could use the extra help. We are taking extra precautions in light of seeing what these Alesians can do."

"A wise move... for a human. I will patrol Earth's solar system but I am here strictly as an observer to the possible negotiations, only."

"I understand."

"The two ships that were already in orbit will depart once Thor and Daedalus arrive. They are needed elsewhere to protect other Asgard interests."

Walter's voice echoed over the PA.

"Unscheduled offworld activation!"

Hammond looked toward the gate.

"That must be the Alesians. Please come with me to the briefing room."

Hammond and the small gray form of the Asgard moved into the briefing room and looked from the window 30 feet up from the Stargate. The gate opened as Amann and Galadriel moved out of the event horizon with 4 white armored Alesian Legionnaires. In Amann's case, he was wearing his white armor as well with a sweeping white cape. Galadriel was in her traditional white robes as was custom among Alesian women. Sergeant Siler was waiting at the bottom of the ramp with a platoon of guards.

"Welcome to Earth, I'm Sergeant Siler, this way please"

Siler lead the way to the briefing room with the Alesians following. Jack O'Neill sat in his seat as the group arrived. He gave a nod of greeting towards Amann. Amann nodded back and sat at the head of the table with Galadriel in the seat next to him. General Hammond, Kvesir, and Dr. Jackson sat at the other side of the table.

"So, Mr Amann, you wished to talk about an alliance against Anubis?

"Please, just plain simple Amann will do, General. You I assume are the leader of this complex? Yes, the Terrans have much to offer regarding an alliance against Anubis. Despite your technological inferiority, you have prevailed against many enemies. That is commendable and we would do well to ally with you. You could prove useful and I am sure you would find us a worthy ally. Is your President coming?"

Hammond crossed his hands.

"That is correct. President Hayes will be here shortly. You have sent a treaty proposal back with our delegation."

"Yes, it is simple no? We Alesians hate inefficiency. We have read a few of your treaties and find them tiresome to analyze. It is not far off the mark to say that about 80% of the content of treaties is complete nonsense and shouldn't bother to be included. Anubis is the immediate threat. I am willing to use the lunar satellite in orbit of your planet to stage a military base there to protect your world. If Anubis has Protoss technology, it is a danger to us all. Anubis is at the moment weakened, he lost over 100 Ha'taks to me in a big battle over Rivanna after you left, but managed to destroy 5 ships. I suggest an alliance with the forces of the Tok'ra, the rebel Jaffa, The Goa'uld System Lords, Earth, and the Alesian Empire. We are all enemies of Anubis and we all will be better off when he is defeated."

The Asgard spoke.

"You only won against Anubis because he had only fought to gain information from you. He had only so much before he captured your ship. Sadly even with the limited info he had gotten from your ship, it appears that you yourselves are at greater risk."

Amann glared at the Asgard.

"We are Alesians! Anubis doesn't have the might to defeat our entire military. The Goa'uld are only superior in only one respect."

The Asgard looked coldly at Amann.

"And what is that?"

"They are better at dying."

"Underestimation of the enemy is a dangerous thing, Councilor."

"So is overestimating to the point where you are afraid to act. We Alesians are still superior to the forces of Anubis, even if he has made great technological leaps. This is why I proposed this alliance. I am sending a fleet to help defend a Goa'uld homeworld against Anubis at this very moment and hopefully destroy a portion of the attacking fleet."

Dr. Jackson looked between the Asgard and the irritated Councilor.

"May I suggest we adjorn for an hour? We have to wait for the President before we can proceed with any more negotiations. He will be here in a few hours.

Amann looked at Hammond.

"Do you have training facilities for me and my men? It is customary for Alesians to train every day in fighting, it keeps our war skills sharp."

Hammond nodded as O'Neill and Teal'c led them to a good sized space inside the base. It was a big area for sparring and to exercise. Many of the SGC soldiers in the room moved to the edges of the room to give space to the soldiers and the 2 Alesian councilors. Galadriel smiled and sat down to observe the men as they deployed blue plasma blades and stood in a ready stance facing each other. Amann was against 2 of the soldiers. The men guarding him were of course some of the most experienced warriors of the Alesian Empire. The Legionnaires began to attack Amann in a blur of blue as the blades arced through the air. Amann was barely seen as he began to block the blades. He was backed into a corner and with a speed that shocked everyone there, he began to counterattack in a fury. The Legionnaires was sweating to keep up with the speed of the blows coming at them. One of them jumped up and spun kicked at Amann, which earned a grunt as the blow landed, twisting Amann into the air and flying into the wall. He crashed into it with a thump but got back up quickly as the Legionnaires ran at him. The Plasma blades once again flew as the men were engulfed in arcs of blue light, such was the speed of the match. Amann smirked as he blowed 3 blows aimed at the head within the speed of a half a second, then counterattacked by jumping up and kicked with his whole body with 2 feet to the chest of the Legionnaire. The Legionnaire flew 30 feet back and landed hard on the mats. He was on his way off the ground when his shield flared about where his head was. Amann had run the distance in 2 seconds and had attacked, scoring a kill on the elite soldier. The other soldier tried to take advantage of Amann's weakness by closing from behind. Amann grabbed the wrist of the legionnaire and hit the soldier repeatedly, then threw the soldier flat on his back. The man was unable to get up in time before Amann scored his second kill. Amann smiled and helped both of the men up. O'Neill looked at Teal'c and nodded.

"Impressive aren't they Teal'c?"

"Indeed."

Teal'c walked forward and picked up 2 sparring sticks. He looked at Amann and tossed him one of the sticks. Amann shut off his personal shield and deactivated his wrist weapons so they wouldn't activate during the match. Then the match began. Teal'c attacked relentlessly, but the Alesian was too fast for him. Amann didn't attack. It was as if he was toying with the Jaffa. Teal'c kept swinging the sparring stick, but found himself blocked at every blow. He changed his tactics by swinging one way, then changing direction in midair. He was rewarded with a satisfying grunt as the blow hit Amann in the ribs. Amann then began to attack. Teal'c found himself being pressed back by the smaller man as the attacks rained on him. The air was pierced by the sounds of the sticks. Teal'c was unable to block many of the blows as they connected with his head, his chest, and his arms. The strength and speed of the Alesian in the lighter gravity environment was too much. With a resounding crack, the stick Teal'c was holding broke in half as Amann swung down and then swung across and hit behind the kneecaps. Teal'c went down quickly and landed on the mats. He looked up to find the head of the stick at his neck. Amann smiled down on him holding the stick.

"That was very impressive for a Jaffa, Teal'c of Chu'lak. You must come to Alesia again and train with us. A Jaffa of your skill would do well with our training."

Amann reached down and pulled the bigger Jaffa up with seeming ease. Galadriel stood up and smiled at her brother, who smiled back. An airman came in.

"Sirs, the President is here to see you in the briefing room."

Amann dropped the stick as everyone filed back to the briefing room. President Hayes stood up as the Alesians entered the room. Amann looked over the man in the suit then spoke.

"President Hayes, I am High Councilor Amann, leader of the Alesian Empire. I have here a copy of the treaty between our worlds. You will find it brief and to the point. "

President Hayes held out his hand and Amann looked at him briefly and took his hand slowly. Amann handed the data pad over after they let go.

"Councilor Amann, please sit down."

Hammond spoke first.

"Mr President, I am sure you have read through the terms of the alliance treaty and do you have any other questions, sir?"

Hayes was looking at Amann with narrowed his eyes and a slight smile on his face.

"Well, Mr. Woolsey assures me that you have done a good job of negotiating these terms, but I had my people read through it, and also to read through our agreement with the Tok'ra"

Dr. Jackson interrupted.

"Sir? Something wrong with the Tok'ra treaty?"

Hayes shook his head and looked at Amann.

"No, no. Just to compare them. However, I was concerned about the aggressive nature of the Alesians. To tell the truth, Councilor Amann, our allies in the past have been very peaceful people. The Asgard, the Tok'ra... relatively speaking, of course. What assurance do we have that once your eliminate Anubis, the greatest threat in the galaxy, that you will not come after us? Asgard can protect us so far, and we don't have many ships. While I don't doubt your personal honor, counciller, but as the representative of this nation and the planet Earth, I must be cautious."

Amann narrowed his eyes in anger then softened.

"Alesians do not betray their allies. Not in 20,000 years. You have my word that we will not betray you nor will we attack you. I do intend to have this galaxy under one banner or at least following the same purpose, but as a confederacy, not as part of the Empire."

"I am sure that you don't as this is a peace agreement between your people and those of America. Once can only learn so much, as currently this is only between America and Alesia."

"Understood. An alliance is beneficial. We are willing to share our technology with your people, unlike many of the races out there, including the Ancients. But the Ancients are not concerned with us or what we do even if they won't share themselves. To them, we are second class Ancients. It has always been their smug sense of superiority that has irritated Alesians to no end. It was Alesian soldiers who struck the first blows to the enemy known asWraith and it was Alesian soldiers who defeated the Wraith when the Ancients were defeated in battle. We are a formidable empire and we are on your side."

Galadriel looked at Hayes directly then spoke in her calm voice

"What you must understand however, is that we can only give technologies on a limited scale until your race is ready for all of it. We will attempt to teach you on it however. We can have some scientists deployed here to help you understand. To advance your race by a million years will not happen overnight."

Hayes nodded.

"The treaty is simple and it can be expected. A base on the moon we cannot allow, but the rest of the treaty seems to be fine. I will agree to the treaty."

Reynolds walked into the room.

"Sir, we are reciving a transmission from the Daedalus."

"Put it on speaker."

Colonel Caldwell's voice was heard.

"This is the Daedalus to SGC, do you copy?"

"This is Hammond. Go ahead Colonel."

"Thor is saying that he has picked up an energy signal being sent from the SGC to a point in orbit of the planet, after doing a scan Thor has found a pair of ships. They're about the size of a Wraith Hive, but look more of Ancient make. Advise?"

"Colonel, Tell Thor that he has full cooperation with you on the Daedalus to oversee any threat to this system. Continue to monitor the ships."

"Yes sir, Daedalus out."

The radio went dead. Hayes looked at Amann.

"Why is there an Alesian fleet in orbit, Councilor?"

"It is for my protection, Mr. President. The _Angelan_ always travels to where I am with a small escort of ships. I apologize for not saying anything. It slipped my mind. There is no hostile intent. Let us sign the agreement and I will be beamed up to the ship and depart."

Hayes signed the paper copy of the agreement and then stamped approval on the Alesian pad. Amann did the same and stood up.

"It has been good to come here. Someday, I will have to see this world. You are all welcome to visit Alesia any time. Just go to Rivanna and ask them to send you to our homeworld. We will allow you there. Good day everyone."

Amann and the Alesians beamed up to the _Angelan_ as it left the system with its escorts for home.

_To be continued…_


	12. Unlikely Allies

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 12: Unlikely Allies**

A fleet of Alesian ships entered hyperspace from Alterra space station. A mighty fleet of 10 Vengeance class heavy battleships, 14 Aurora class light battleships, and 40 cruisers made its way to the System Lords domain.

_Near Irush…_

Ba'al contacted the System Lords. All System Lords had joined the conference.

"Fellow System Lords. We now face an imminent threat from Anubis. We must rally together against him or we shall all be destroyed."

The others nodded.

"Good. Let us show Anubis of our consolidated alliance by destroying his fleet that is about to attack Irush, a planet under Kali's dominion."

Kali bowed her head.

"Assign about three to five ships each. That will be enough to form a formidable fleet. There are nine of us left, and we have the combined might of the Goa'uld System Lords. Who can dare challenge us?"

The System Lords all agreed to send five Ha'taks each. Forty five Ha'taks began to head toward Irush.

Meanwhile, Anubis was heading to Irush slowly, waiting for the System Lords' combined fleet to assemble. He was riding his Ha'nutak flagship, and was escorted by two Apophis class ships with full upgrade, and fifteen Ha'taks with shield and weapons upgrade, but no Protoss weapons.

The System Lords gathered behind Irush, hiding themselves and a reserve fleet of Ha'tak motherships and Alkesh in the shadows of the planet's second moon. The main fleet consisting of 45 Ha'taks and 26 Alkesh, positioned themselves around the planet, preparing for defence. Irush was one of the frontier worlds for Kali, and she had prepared a great number of anti-Ha'tak defences on the ground and a significant number of ground forces.

While the System Lords had numerical superiority, Anubis had the technology, the firepower and the Kull Warriors. His aquisition of ChiYou's Protoss disruptor cannon and the Alesian beam weapon greatly increased his power. Anubis opened a channel to the defending fleet.

"I am Anubis. Surrender now and save yourselves."

Ba'al relayed his transmission through the defending fleet.

"Anubis, this is Ba'al. I now command the combined might of the System Lords. Your deliberate attempt to disrupt the balance of power will not go unpunished."

Anubis chuckled.

"You think too highly of yourself, Ba'al. You are nothing but a mewling infant. I will crush this fleet you have assembled and then I shall proceed as I have proclaimed. It will show everyone in the galaxy that my powers are supreme!"

Ba'al narrowed his eyes.

"It is you who think too much of yourself, Anubis. Even now, the fleets of the System Lords are gathering and our ships will destroy everything you have until you surrender yourself before the council of the System Lords."

Anubis stood up.

"Then we are in disagreement. Enjoy seeing your fleet destroyed."

Anubis cut communications and began to move his fleet forward. A fleet of 20 ha'taks moved exited hyperspace behind Anubis. Ba'al smiled at the new reinforcements that came from his homeworld and ordered the attack. The 45 Ha'taks and 26 Alkesh moved forward, with the plasma cannons on the planet surface firing at Anubis. The 20 Ha'taks boxed in the small fleet Anubis had brought with him. The meagre 4:1 ratio did not help the combined fleet of System Lords. The upgraded Ha'taks easily shot down the Ha'taks. It only took about half a dozen shots for the upgraded Ha'taks to take down the shields. Unorganized, the combined fleet began to crumble. Within minutes of engaging, seven ships were destroyed with only one upgraded Ha'taks crippled. The Apophis Ha'taks were faring better, destroying three of the Ha'taks. The additional 14 Hataks did not change the odds much for the System Lords. The massive Ha'nutak easily destroyed six Ha'taks, and the two Apophis Ha'taks destroyed four each, and the upgraded Ha'taks crushed the combined fleet. This did not mean that the forces of Anubis took no casualties. The combined firepower allowed the Ha'taks to take down several Ha'taks including three upgraded ships. Unfortunately, the Alesian beam weapon and the Protoss weapons stolen by Anubis was too much for the allied fleet.

Suddenly, a hyperspace window opened, and four ships came out. They were Ba'al new ships. The pyramid ship and the three wing ships moved in formation and the wing ships fired on the pyramid ship. Anubis' ships unwittingly fired at the pyramid ships. The pyramid ship channeled the attacks and fired three massive plasma balls, destroying an upgraded Ha'tak. A flash was seen as the Alesian fleet arrived, reinforced by a detachment of 9 more battleships from the border fleet. On the AES _Starfire_, General Ataris hailed General Ayen on the AES _Galadriel_.

"Greetings, General Ayen."

"Greetings. You know the mission. Deploy your fleets in an attack pattern. Bracket the enemy ships and kill them all in the name of the Alesian Empire. The Ha'taks marked are enemies, the ones not marked are allies and cannot be fired upon. AES _Galadriel_ out."

One of the Apophis Ha'taks fired its awesome weapon at the pyramid ship, and the pyramid ship absorbed the attack. Then it returned fire, sending five massive plasma balls charged with incredibly destructive energy. Upon the fourth shot, the shield of the Apophis Ha'tak was down and the fifth plasma ball exploded upon the hull. The Ha'taks of the System Lords focused their fire upon it, dealing critical damage. The other Apophis Ha'tak was not doing well either. The Alesians beam weapons and drones collided upon the Apophis Ha'tak crippling it instantly.

The Ha'nutak flagship, however, was too powerful for the System Lords or even the Alesians. Armed with twelve beam weapons that can fire three of them at one time in one arc, and sixteen Protoss weapons that can fire six at one time, the massive ship was far too powerful. Upon launching a volley of its weapons fire, it destroyed four Ha'taks instantly before turning toward the Alesians. As powerful as the Alesian ships were they were no match for the sheer firepower and number of weapons on the Ha'nutak. It fired three beams at an Aurora Class battleship then fired another three at a cruiser, all the while spraying the Alesian ships with the rain of Protoss cannon fire. The Alesian fleet fired waves of drones and beam weapon fire into the massive mothership. The beam weapons were absorbed but the thousands of drones hitting the shields at first hit the shield, then hundreds of them bypassed the shielding and hit sections of the ship, wreaking major damage. Anubis's flagship was still able to fight, but with weakened shields and a damaged hull from where the drones struck the ship in numerous places. There was one weakness, the Alesians were out of drone weapons, having fired all of them into the ship. The beam weapons from the Alesians pounded the shields, hoping to score more hits as the Anubis mothership fired more bolts of Protoss weapons. Ha'nutak was no ordinary ship. It was made up of five separate ships able to act independently to each other. Upon the damage to the two sections, the sections of the ships shut down, is bulkheads locked shut. Hundreds of Jaffa died but Anubis did not care. Instead, he rerouted the auxillery power to the shield generators and weapons, leaving only minimal life support throughout the decks. Though four of the beam weapons were down, the Protoss weapons were still quite active, and Anubis began to focus his attack upon the Alesians. He spoke angrily to Thoth.

"Shak Kree, Hre'rak! Focus all weapons on those four ships!"

"Yes, my lord."

"These Alesians are annoying. The beam weapon is powerful, but it is not as powerful as theirs. Explain!"

"I ask for your forgiveness, my Lord. We were able to replicate the weapon, but it is only at half the power of the original weapon. The Zero Point Modules and the Antimatter reactors the Alesians are too far beyond our technologies to replicate that much energy."

Anubis snarled but then composed himself.

"Very well. Destroy them all in my name."

The beam weapons scored hits against the Alesian ships. Three ships of the Alesian fleet were damaged, one drifted powerless in space. And another had lost its sublight engines but was still able to fire its main weapons. 2 more Alesian cruisers were destroyed, but with their superior maneuverability, they were able to destroy 3 of the upgraded Ha'taks with a barrage of pulse cannons and drones.

The System Lords poured more firepower upon the mothership, ignoring the upgraded Ha'taks as a hyperspace window opened and a pair of newly readied Apophis class Ha'taks arrived. Osiris and Tanith had arrived with their flagships as reinforcements. Osiris and Tanith contacted Anubis. Osiris spoke with an almost-sneering smile.

"My lord Anubis, do you require our assistance?"

Anubis chuckled.

"You dare, Osiris? I do not require assistance, but to end this quicker. You may take on the Ha'taks of the System Lords while I deal with these Alesians."

"Understood, my lord."

As the two Apophis Ha'taks that just arrived joined force with the few remaining upgraded Hataks and began destroying the ships of the System Lords, Anubis focused on the Alesians.

_Near Irush…_

Ba'al contacted the System Lords.

"Even with the help of the Alesians, our forces are losing. It would be better to cut our losses here and reinforce the next planet. We shall gather a greater fleet there and crush him, now that we know that his upgraded ships are still destructible."

The System Lords nodded. Their flagships and the reserve ships opened hyperspace window and exited the system, leaving the ships in combat to be destroyed by Anubis. General Ayen snarled as his ships continued to rain fire down upon the remaining enemy ships. He knew his fleet was outmatched by the sheer firepower of the enemy flagship and ordered a retreat, dragging any disabled ships behind him. Anubis had won the day, but most of his ships were destroyed. Only the 2 flagships of his lieutenants, and 3 of the upgraded Ha'taks survived. Even his own ship was heavily damaged, though it was successful in warding off the Alesians. Anubis watched as his First Prime continued the utter annihilation of Irush.


	13. The Dark Angels

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 13: The Dark Angels**

Legate Aegis stared at his gathering legion on Alesia. His rank meant he commanded a unit of mighty Alesia's finest soldiers. The 5000 troops of the "Dark Angels" 105th Legion were first rate legionnaires, all for him to command for Alesia and for her mighty empire. He stared at the statue of Galadriel next to her brother Amann's, in many ways, Galadriel was the representative figure of Alesia and she was dear to her fellow citizens. He will not let the council down, not on this day. He beamed down to the balcony to where his gathering legion stood in formation. Today they were to invade a Goa'uld stronghold of Anubis. Detachments of the 4th fleet would support them, but their legion was the shock element.

"Legionnaires! Today is a glorious day for Alesia! A day that will pit the Empire's finest against her biggest enemies. Today we drive the Goa'uld back into the abyss where they come from! Legionnaires! For Alesia!"

The Legionnaires stomped on the ground and smashed their fists on their breastplates. It was indeed an awesome sound to hear as the thumps echoed.

"For Alesia!"

"Forward Dark Angels! And kill the enemies of the Empire!"

Legate Aegis beamed down as the Stargate activated. The Legion faced around and formed into tight columns and moved to go through. First a wing of Jumpers flew through and decided to engage enemy aircraft before barraging the battalion of Jaffa guarding the Stargate. Centurion Deran commanded his group of 30 soldiers with efficiency as his platoon went through the Stargate first. With a breath, he stepped through the stargate and found himself under attack from the various weapons fire of the Jaffa soldiers near the gate. There were many for him to kill. With a yell of joy, he jumped off the stone steps and let loose with his rapid fire wrist blaster. 5 Jaffa fell instantly as the rest of his unit came through and did the same. He growled as he cut down another Jaffa. About 10 Alesian soldiers deployed their wrist mounted plasma blades with a hiss and charged the company nearest them. The shields held against the enemy fire well, absorbing all of the attacks. Even the plasma cannons that the Jaffa used in their emplacements were of no use. The Legionnaires hit were merely thrown in the air to land painfully, but they were alive and got up immediately as they mowed down the enemy with their blasters. There were four such emplacements with a company of Jaffa guarding each. The Stargate kept pouring out more and more Alesian soldiers as they charged the emplacements. The Jaffa nearest the gate were killed first as the Alesian soldiers closed the distance and used their plasma blades to stab and hack their way through. Those farther away were simply mowed down like so many blades of grass. Legate Aegis stepped through with a florish of his white cloak signifying his high rank. The insignia was enough for the soldiers to know who he was. A company commander ran up and saluted as he observed the enemy.

"Commander, how goes the battle?"

"A breeze sir. We have taken only a few stunned casualties and some bumps and bruises. We are tackling those turrets as we speak."

"Good, press forward the attack and then engage the city defenses. We have to cross a field that is 2 miles wide. That will prove most difficult."

"Yes sir! For Alesia!"

"For Alesia, commander. Return to your company at once."

The Commander turned and ran back to join his unit as the soldiers continued to run through in columns of 2. The Jaffa fire simply was not working against the armor or the shields of the Alesians. The Jaffa emplacements fired in all directions to contain the encirclement. The Alesians kept flanking the positions. With a blue flash, one of the emplacements exploded as the antimatter grenade went off, having been thrown by an Alesian. With a yell, 300 legionnaires charged. Firing their wrist blasters while running, they gunned down half of the company guarding the emplacement. Then they closed the distance and began to cut through with slashes and thrusts from their burning blue blades. Arcs of blue were seen as the Jaffa were cut down. Centurion Deran snarled as he raised his blade up and sliced down on a Jaffa who tried to block the blade with his staff. The Naquadah staff broke in 2. The blade continued down and sliced a 2 foot long gash down the center of the Jaffa. The Jaffa was dead before he hit the ground. Deran kicked the Jaffa out of the way and decapitated another Jaffa with another swipe. He gunned down another 3 Jaffa that tried to run up to him. Then he saw the Kull warriors. These soldiers were actually a danger to his men. He charged the black armored soldiers and put his blade in the stomach of one of them. He pulled out as the Kull warrior collapsed. Then he felt a blow strike his head from behind. He saw black spots and lashed out with his foot, knocking the Kull warrior several feet back. The rest of the Kulls were overpowered with the thousands of Alesians coming through the gate now. The gate deactivated as the last of them came through. All of the emplacements were now dead. There were 100,000 more Jaffa and a few thousand Kull warriors guarding the city with its numerous shipyards. The Gliders were already neutralized by the efficient work of the Jumpers, who could fit through the Stargate and fight. The stone walls might be a problem for the Legionnaires, but Aegis was confident he would break through with his elite unit. The Dark Angels cheered as the last of the decimated Jaffa battalion ran the 2 miles back to the city. Many held up the symbiotes of the dead Jaffa and jeered at the running Jaffa, such was their pride. Aegis smiled as the soldiers began to advance in columns to the edge of the field that they had to cross to reach the city. They were met with thousands of plasma bolts being fired from the city. It was not very accurate for the Jaffa soldiers firing at this range, but the Alesians also had staff weapons that could reach. Each soldier grinned as they pulled out a slender canister. With a quick thought to the objects, the lances extended to form a long staff of about 5 feet long. Using their HUD's in their helmets, they focused on the Jaffa lining the stone walls and began to fire blue bolts of energy. Aegis smiled as he shot off the head of one of the warriors. After a few minutes, most of the Jaffa had taken cover or were dead.

"Dark Angels, advance and take that city!"

The Legionnaires cheered as they began to march in a long line 1000 soldiers long, and 5 deep. Then they broke out in a run, shouting all the way. The Jaffa began to get back up and fire. The Alesians fired back as they ran, but the effects of their fire was moderated by the fact they were running too fast to aim effectively. The Jaffa fire was just absorbed by the armor and shields of the Alesians. The Alesians reached the stone wall after 7 minutes of running. A few stragglers came up with a basketball sized object. They planted these near the gate and 2 sections of the wall. They activated it and ran for their lives. The soldiers near the wall did the same as the Antimatter flashed brighter than a sun. The wall threw many stone blocks into the city, killing many civilians as the rocks hit their houses. A thousand Jaffa were thrown into the air and killed from the shockwave. The Dark Angels formed into tight columns again and charged over the rubble of the collapsed sections and moved into the city.

Inside the city was chaos as the Jaffa took up positions alongside any of the houses and niches they could find. Their confidence dimmed as the wall barely slowed these terrors down. Centurion Deran snarled as his unit moved through the medieval looking houses. Any Jaffa firing at them were killed instantly. He kicked down the door of one of the houses to find 4 Jaffa aiming their staff weapons at him. He smiled coldly and laughed.

"Attack me, if you can!"

He deployed his blue blades again as the Jaffa fired their weapons at him. He cut down 3 of them and the last one backed away from him in sheer terror. He smiled as the Jaffa threw his staff weapon down and kneeled before him. With a sneer, he kicked the Jaffa down.

"You are not worthy to die by the fury of my blade. Legionnaire! Take this thing into custody."

A Legionnaire ran up and yanked the Jaffa to his feet and pulled him away. Daren saw a woman and her 2 children huddled in the corner. He bowed before her respectfully.

"I am sorry about the mess. We are generally more selective about our targets. Good day, my lady."

With that, he departed to rejoin the battle as it raged. The Jaffa were fleeing or surrendering. Only the Kulls fought now, and they did manage to beat a few of the Alesians senseless. They were killed where they stood, as they knew no fear, only obedience. The shipyard was the target. The remaining Jaffa tried to board the nearly completed Ha'tak in the shipyard, but the Goa'uld in charge of the shipyard had other ideas. He ordered the Protoss weapon on board to be charged.

--

Legate Aegis stood inside the ruined gates as his soldiers made their way to the shipyard. Suddenly the top of the Ha'tak opened and blue bolts began to fire down into the city, not caring who was still in it. The Alesians screamed in fury as dozens of them were killed, since their armor nor their shields weren't strong enough to block a ship based weapon. Aegis was furious.

"On into the Ha'tak! It's our only chance of survival!"

With a yell, the Dark Angels charged into the Ha'tak. The ship itself was weakly garrisoned with a skeleton crew as it was not ready to join the budding fleet of Ha'taks Anubis was forming. Deran made his way to the Pel'tak near the top of the Ha'tak. The gold walls were not of good taste to him, he much preferred the white walls of his home. A Goa'uld stood inside with 6 Kull warriors. The Kull warriors began to fire, but the Alesians cut through them. The Goa'uld fired off waves of energy from his wrist device, but Deran charged him with a scream of fury and grabbed the wrist, twisting it so that it broke. The Goa'uld screamed as Deran kicked him behind the kneecap. The kneecap broke as the Goa'uld fell on his knees. He smiled as the Goa'uld spoke

"I am a GOD! You cannot kill me."

"A god huh?"

Deran grabbed the Goa'uld by the throat and crushed his windpipe and the symbiote inside the neck with his armored glove. He lifted the limp form of the Goa'uld up and sneered at his fellow legionnaires, then threw him aside into the wall like a ragdoll. The battle was won and the planet taken, but there would be more missions ahead for the Dark Angel Legion.

_To be continued…_


	14. The Council

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 14: The Council**

_Over Alesia…_

A flash was seen over Alesia as the _Angelan_ and her fleet escorts returned home. There were hundreds of warships in orbit, gathered there by command of Amann. Amann beamed down with Galadriel to the small High Council chamber. Demos, Taelira, and his wife Lucia awaited them. Amann sat in his seat. The council began with Amann speaking.

"Councilors, we have a problem. You have the reports. Anubis threatens Alesia. We must stop him at all costs. I want our fleet to invade his territory and destroy his shipyards. That way he won't have as many ships when we attack Tartarus on the other side of the galaxy."

Lucia spoke.

"Amann, you do realize that we can only substain a large campaign for a limited time before we are forced to deploy forces home to make sure the System Lords don't take advantage of the situation. We will have to either defeat him quickly, or commit only a limited amount of forces. The thousand warships in orbit are gathered from all parts of the Empire, we only have 1000 more in the entire Empire to combat additional enemies. Then there is Pegasus Galaxy, where we just sent an expedition force to set up 4 colonies on the edge of that galaxy. The Wraith are numerous there, we have sent 100 of the reserve ships there to combat them, but they might require reinforcements. The 1000 warships you want to attack Anubis with is doable, but we will be strained in doing this. Between Pegasus and this war in the Milky Way, we might lose some territory and resources we need."

Amann slammed his fist down.

"The Wraith are numerous, but they cannot defeat our technological might. Even our peaceful Ancient bretheren were able to win most of the battles against them. We are much more capable than the Ancients were. But you are right, 100 ships cannot combat the might of an entire galaxy. We will have to keep additional ships at the Void station in the void between the galaxies. Demos, how many Legionnaires and militia are gathered to strike?"

Demos smiled.

"We have millions of soldiers, Councilor. We might not be able to occupy the entire galaxy, but we can kill off most of the ground forces. The problem is always the ships. The 1000 ship armada is half of our entire fleet. We estimate that all of the System Lords and Anubis combined have 10 times the ships, even if they are far inferior. Then there is the various other small empires in the galaxy. We all know of the Aschen. They are superior in technology to the Goa'uld, but they use biological weapons to target their victims DNA. They might attack us if they know we are weakened."

Amann frowned.

"The Aschen are backstabbers. It was our plan to deal with them eventually, but go ahead and remind the Aschen via subspace broadcast that any attack on the Alesian Empire will be met with the destruction of their homeworld plus all of their subject worlds. We estimate about 30 planets under their control?"

"Correct. We might have missed one or two, but in a galaxy with millions of worlds, it is hardly worth mentioning."

"Good, see to it once we adjorn. Any objections to the invasion of Anubis's territory?"

Everyone at the table shook their heads. Taelira spoke.

"I have gathered tens of thousands of Drow warriors. They will be efficient in spearheading our invasion. With your legions, Anubis will lose the ground war."

"That sounds good. Report to the Angelan and inform the High Command. Lucia and Demos will stay here and make sure everything goes well on the home front. The fleet goes now."

Amann, Galadriel, and Taelira beamed to the AES Angelan and the thousand warships in orbit began to move as millions of soldiers were beamed onboard. The ships flew for Anubis's territory. Amann stood on the bridge of the 8 km long destroyer as his soldiers began to sing a war song that he knew must be echoed among the entire fleet.

"We go among the stars. From the holy harbor. Alesia! Charging into battle! With plasma blade and blaster! For Alesia! Let the blood of our enemies flow! Call forth the legions and fleet. Cut them down! Blast them aside! Wade through them! For Alesia! Stand for the light. Stand against the night. For duty and honor. For the Empire!"

_Near Irush…_

Anubis sat on his black throne while his fleet flew toward the next System Lord planet. The planet was Mark'kara under Bastet's control. The Alesians were not around this time, having withdrawn all of their forces within their borders. Anubis knew that the key to defeating them was getting the resources of the galaxy and using them to churn a fleet big enough to take them on. The System Lords had gathered nearly 300 Ha'taks this time, a sizable chunk of their overall fleet. Anubis only had 40 upgraded Ha'taks ready to fight the force, but he had his flagship, 3 of the 5 sections still functioning. The 2 sections that were disabled were detached since they would only slow the ship down. The ship exited hyperspace with its escorts.

"Hre'rak, have the fleet attack the planet. The System Lords will fall before me. Destroy them all in my name!"

"Yes, my Lord"

The battle was engaged as the Ha'taks fired at each other. The System Lords scored initial kills due to the heavy defenses of Mark'kara, but they were losing many Ha'taks. Already 35 of them had fallen with only 7 of Anubis's ships lost. The Alesian beam weapons were disabled since it required all 5 sections of the flagship to be working, but the Protoss weapons were deadly against the System Lord forces. Lines of blue bolts struck the 1 km wide ships and disabled, then destroyed them. Anubis chuckled as all of the might of the System Lords crumbled before him and his superior technology. 43 more System Lord Ha'taks fell within a few moments of the battle. Anubis turned to his First Prime.

"Hre'rak, destroy them all! I will have this galaxy."

"Of course my Lord."

Anubis hailed Osiris in one of the flagships near his.

"Osiris, I would like you to capture Ba'al. He will prove most valuable to me."

"Of course I will. He will kneel before you."

Ba'al's flagship, a Ha'tak stronger than normal Ha'taks, fired on one of the upgraded Ha'taks. With the combined firepower of 6 of his other Hata'ks, the ship fell after substained fire. One of the Jaffa at the control exclaimed in alarm.

"My lord, Osiris has arrived on the big Ha'tak! It is firing on us!"

"Destroy her. I am a god!"

Osiris and Ba'al began to trade fire, but eventually Osiris's ship won and Ba'al's shields went down. Ba'al left the bridge in a fury with 6 Jaffa escorts to the ring room. He had lost this battle, but he will survive. The Ring room activated and 4 Kull warriors were placed aboard. Ba'al saw them turn the corner as they approached.

"Kree Jaffa!"

The Jaffa fired their staff weapons, but the orange bolts did little damage. The Kull warriors simply fired back and killed the Jaffa in short order. They walked forward and grabbed Ba'al and in a second, they were gone from the ship. Osiris smiled as Ba'al was escorted in.

"Ba'al, it is good to see you again."

Ba'al's lips tightened.

"What is it you want?"

Osiris grinned.

"What? No small talk? I have come to take you into custody. You will be taken to Lord Anubis. He has plans for you yet."

"Do you think me a fool? I will not surrender so easily."

"You have no choice. I will destroy you if you attempt to flee. You know the power of Anubis."

Ba'al lowered his eyes, then nodded.

"Very well."

They were ringed aboard Anubis's throne room. Four Jaffa and two Kull Warriors guarded Ba'al as he was taken to Anubis. Ba'al calmly smiled to himself as he noted that he was not bound or dragged. He was taken to the throne room inside the Ha'nutak. Anubis was sitting in his throne. Ba'al narrowed his eyes when he saw no face inside the robe. Ba'al bowed his head in respect. After all, Anubis had power that should be respected. Anubis waved away the Jaffa. The two Kull Warriors stood near the doors. Anubis spoke.

"Shel kek, Ba'al. Welcome to my ship."

Ba'al smiled.

"Kree ja harak, shel Anubis. Meta setek shel Anubis ko ja hok."

"Kree na, Ba'al. Meta setek Anubis, shol kree!"

Ba'al bowed his head, then spoke in firm tone.

"Am I a prisoner or a guest?"

Anubis chuckled.

"How could I mistreat you, Lord Ba'al? You are here as a guest... as long as I want it so."

"What is it that you want from me?"

"Only three things. Firstly, your loyalty and submission to me and my power. Secondly, your position as a senior among the System Lords. You will spy for me. Thirdly, the technology you managed to aquire. The shield that your new ships have on them."

"What would I get in return?"

"You want something other than your life?"

"If I get nothing, I would rather die than give you anything, and since everything you want can only be gained with me alive..."

"You are shrewd, Ba'al. That is why I like you... better than others. I offer you the seat beside mine. You will be my right-hand. You will be my wrath incarnated. I will give you Asgard beaming technology and several upgrades to your Ha'taks. You will maintain all the territory and domain that is currently yours and that of Amaterasu."

Ba'al thought for a moment then knelt down before Anubis, smiling widely.

"Shak kelshak, shel Anubis! I agree to your most generous offer, my lord Anubis. It will be my pleasure to... serve you, my lord."

"Kree nak, shel Ba'al. Go now."

Upon returning to his ship, Ba'al ordered his ship to return to his homeworld. Then waving away the Jaffa, he called a recently made friend. Ba'al smiled as Alesian architecture appeared behind him. He didn't know who it was, but the fact that he was an Alesian was proof of what he suspected, not all of the Alesians favored Amann or the High Council.

"You were quite correct, Sunaj. Anubis did offer me a seat of power... though I cannot guess how long it will last."

"I assure you that your position as a major power player in the galaxy will not diminish. Anubis will be defeated eventually. He has many enemies, my lord Ba'al."

"What are Anubis' next moves?"

"For a while, he will give you much. Then when the System Lords are weak and they know that you are not as trustworthy as you seem, Anubis will ask for the control of Dakara."

"He knows that I will never give up Dakara."

"By then you will have no choice. If you refuse, he will withdraw his support, and you will be destroyed by the System Lords. Even if you convince your innocence to the System Lords, Anubis will destroy you."

"Hmmm, what are my moves then?"

"Dakara has no significance other than its symbolism. Do not concern yourself over that one planet."

"If that is so, why does Anubis want it?"

"There are reasons... which I cannot reveal to you yet. If you act too rashly, he will destroy you."

"Very well."

"One other thing, Amann has launched an invasion of Anubis's territory some hours ago. I learned of it through my contacts. The forces invading are substantial and will take all of Anubis's power to stop."

"What have you to gain by telling me this information?"

"With Amann's death, I will be able to seize control of Alesia and the Empire. You do realize that eventually, Amann plans to destroy all of you. With me in charge, you won't have to worry about that."

"Very well. Contact me when you have more information. I will be waiting."

The transmission ended as Ba'al smiled. Most of his Jaffa onboard the ship were dead, but he was able to maneuver the ship away safely.

--

Anubis watched the battle as nearly half of the System Lord fleet was destroyed, but his fleet had taken substantial losses as well. Hre'rak spoke uncertainly.

"My Lord?"

"What is it?"

"Reports have been received from one of our outposts in the Cor'nu system. They report a large fleet attacking the system. Our shipyards there are destroyed. It appears that the Alesians have invaded with a large fleet."

Anubis was enraged.

"Break off the attack and gather my fleet over Tartarus. We will strike down these Alesians and make them pay for their insolence."

"Yes my Lord"


	15. Fall From Grace

I wish to take the time to address some of the reviews :) and explain alot of the way I wrote it.

Starfishyeti, I like your points. But I do have answers for it.

1. The team might not "approve" of it, but they all deal with dictatorships. It was even stated later on that they are uneasy about the aggressiveness of the Alesians. But the Alesians are not a dictatorship persay. As we explore their culture in later chapters, we will find out more about their government. The Lower council in particular helps run things. The founding of the empire was started when Amann, Demos, galadriel went with their followers after a big argument with the Ancients. They broke away when they founded their homeworld on Alesia, the followers having free will and appointed Amann to represent them, much like a modern organization elects their president. And SG-1 has dealt with the Asgard and the Tollan, who seem to be comprised of an oligarchy rather than a free will government. And the Ancients also had high councils too, but we dont know if they were elected or they assumed power as well. They are impressed at the grand scale of what the Alesians built, but not really approving the government itself until they know more about it.

2. Good point, I would best answer something like that if they all ran and in the confusion to get there, they simply forgot. But it is a rather weak answer.

3. O'neil doesnt know what it is. "I" described it was military rank and a emblem (aka a symbol). The rank itself was on the part that bordered the shoulder pads themselves. Usually the emblem is the crest of the Legion the Alesian serves in. Amann being High Councilor, he would be leading his bodyguards. The 1st Legion, a much expanded legion with 15,000 men instead of 5,000. For all O'neill knows, it could be anything.

Alesians are a rather formal people. They like to be very formal to each other and their guests. To radiate their high cultural value and their class is why i made them that way. Civilized in other words. Though I did try to use the speech patterns SG-1 uses and they do tend to speak that way in the show. I will adapt to more of it in the future :)

Hexmaster, The Kull warriors have most of the advantages the Alesians have. Only the most skilled of the Alesians can take on the Kull warriors one on one. Only when the Alesians have had superior numbers were they able to defeat the Kull warriors with ease. So the Kulls are slightly weaker, but they know no fear. Even an Alesian can know pain and fear. But the Alesians have the advantage of being able to think, not like the mindless drones who obey orders without question. And Earth is only an ally of the Alesians, not a member world. Indeed, They will play a very important role in the near future. More than even the Alesians might appreciate at first glance.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 15: Fall from Grace**

The Alesians advanced into the territory of Anubis. The outer colonies fell within a matter of hours as the swift Alesian advance overwhelmed them. Amann stood on the bridge of the Angelan as he watched the holographic display from the NABIS network. The holographic image from the young dark haired woman stood next to him giving him reports of the fighting.

"Councilor, the Cor'nu system has fallen, the garrison of 300,000 Jaffa were slaughtered within a matter of hours and the only 2 habitable planets were bombarded by antimatter weapons. No reported survivors."

"Good, the Jaffa cannot withstand our might. The shipyards were destroyed I assume?"

"Yes councilor, and one of the Protoss weapons was captured intact. Scientists from Alesia are reverse engineering the weapon now."

"Very well, any resistance into our forays in the inner domains of Anubis?"

"The 3rd and 4th fleets have encountered heavy resistance in the Vel'siv system. There are well over 100 ha'taks reported to be attacking the fleet. Fleet reported to be advancing despite resistance."

"Excellent, get me General Ayen. We know the location of Tartarus, the homeworld of Anubis and that is where his Kull warriors are manufactured based on the intelligence provided by the Tok'ra. It is crucial we capture the adjacent systems in order to protect our flank and rear."

In Stargate Command…

Sel'mak of the Tok'ra stepped through the Stargate and looked around. He looked around as General Hammond walked into the gateroom. He greeted his old friend, since Jacob Carter, his host, served in the US military with General Hammond for 30 years. It was only his cancer that prompted Jacob Carter to take a Tok'ra symbiote.

"Greetings, Jacob."

"General, we have a problem."

O'Neill walked in the gateroom.

"What sort of problem?"

"Jack, the Tok'ra just got wind of the news. The Alesians have launched an all out attack on Anubis. His outer domains have fallen to the Alesian advance."

"So? That is good news right?"

"Normally yes, but the System Lords are afraid of the true strength of the Alesians, since they had no idea of the amount of soldiers or ships that they had. Now that they have an idea based on the invasion forces the Alesians have luanched, they are allying with Anubis to fight a common enemy. Our spies indicate that the System Lords are gathering thousands of their ships. They intend to attack the Alesians when it is convienient to do so. At least that is what is reported. We do not know when they will attack, just that they will."

They walked to the briefing room.

"So the Alesians are in for a pounding. Can they withstand the Goa'uld?"

"Unknown. We have no idea of their defenses nor do we have any idea of how many more ships they have. It is possible that they could defeat the System Lords with ease or they might be destroyed despite their technological advantage. Even if the System Lords succeed, they will suffer disproportional amounts of casualties."

"I suppose the question is, do we want to warn the Alesians?"

"I would advise it, however, despite the apparent good will of the Alesians, they might turn out worse than the Goa'uld if they do conquer the whole galaxy. It would be a lot harder defeating the Alesians than the System Lords. But I would warn them, they deserve to know."

"Agreed, we will open a wormhole to Rivanna. Dial the gate to Rivanna."

_On Alesia… _

Sunaj walked along the corridors. His real name was Janus, but on Alesia he was known as Janilius, a member of the Lower Council, the representative body of the Empire. He smiled as he was not even Alesian, but that of the Ori. He smiled as he remembered Amann as a child. It was against Ancient law to genetically enhance their children. He was one of the Alterans to make sure that law was passed. He knew such children were a threat to his empire, for he alone commanded the ascended Ori. He stood watching a young dark haired woman worked on a panel of a computer terminal alone. The one left in charge, a true target for total control. _He should have never left his most wanted things alone like a child. He must be brought down._ The man thought moving forwards and upon reaching Lucia.

"Hello sweetheart"

Lucia twirled around and found herself looking into the clear green eyes of Janus, just as a blade passed through her heart. Lucia gasped as Janus pulled his blade from her. He smirked.

"Such a pity, and such pretty hair too."

Janus moved toward the terminal and entered a code, and once in sent a recall to all ships to Alesian space. He moved away as he entered in fake computer data into the security systems and moved away quickly. He smiled as he entered the Lower Council chamber after a few minutes of steady walking. Unlike the small High Council chamber perched in the Alesian High Command, this chamber was vast as it housed hundreds of councilors from across the Empire, each councilor representing a member world. He was wearing the robe of a councilor with shoulder armor pieces bearing Alesian military rank. With his handsome looks, he was always able to charm the people he needed to use. Several councilers came to greet him.

"Welcome back, Counciler Janilius. I hope your negotiations went well?"

Janilius nodded with a smile that could charm anyone.

"It went very well, Counciler Ramius. The planetary council of Orgarif and their allies have agreed to sign the treaty and will become our protectorate."

Ramius smiled.

"Most excellent news! Well done!"

Janilius paused.

"Where is the High Counciler Amann?"

Ramius shrugged.

"I think he went to command the campaign against Anubis?"

Janilius frowned.

"I see. Come with me, my friend. I have recently received words. Disturbing words at that .That is the reason I came back so quickly. Lady Lucia, the wife of our great High Councilor Amann. She had confided that he has become somewhat irrational. Apparently he has become aggressive and paranoid."

Raminus frowned.

"What do you mean? She never mentioned it."

"Why would she? She was worried. She knew that only I could perhaps hold him so that our medical staff could examine him. As you know, I advise the High Council and had grown close to Amann's family."

Suddenly, there was an alarm and security personnel began bustling around. Janilius grabbed one of them.

"What happened?"

"Lady Lucia has been murdered! We can't revive her! Someone used a poison that prevents her from being revived!"

"What?! Who is in charge of this?"

"Commander Najius, sir."

"Ahh, Najius is a good man. Take me to her body."

"Najius, what evidence is there?"

"Some security footage... it was difficult. Only this one remained. Whoever did this was very good at it. He tried to delete all traces of himself."

"How?"

"He used access codes of High Councilor Amann."

Janilius frowned.

"What? That is impossible! The killer must have stolen it."

"Sorry, sir. I know you want to believe in him, and we all respect him, but he has not been himself lately."

"He has his reasons, I'm sure…"

Janilius trailed off.

"Sir. Only Councilor Amann knows his own code, sir."

Janilius sighed.

"You have my permission to investigate. Let me see the footage."

"Yes, sir."

The footage showed a man walking up to Lucia, and after a brief moment of talking, he used a knife.

Janilius frowned.

"Who is that?"

Najius sighed.

"That is Aramius. High Counciller Amann's Senior Assistant"

"Impossible. Why is he not with Amann?"

"I don't know..."

"Find him and question him!"

"Yes, councilor."

Janilius turned around. To the others, he looked like he was brooding. Inside, he was smiling with joy as the pieces of his plan started to fall into place. Aramius was brought in before the lower councilors. Janilius stared coldly at Aramius as he was kicked on his knees.

"You killed Councilor Lucia, do you deny this?"

"I don't know what you are talking about sir."

"Don't lie! We see it on the holoscreen!"

"I was not there sir. I was sleeping. Councilor Amann had me working late hours and I needed my sleep."

" Lies! You will be brought to trial. Assassination is rewarded with death in the Empire. Guards! Take him to a cell. A court will decide his fate! "

Aramius was dragged away as Ramius, Calin, Kelus and Janilius covened. Ramius spoke first.

"This is serious. The Lower Council is up in roars. They are demanding that the Court execute him."

Calin banged the table with an armored fist.

"I demand that as well!"

Janilius calmed her down.

"Please, my dear. This is important to hear what he has to say. The investigation must go on to find the truth. If he acted on Amann's orders, that would be…..unfortunate."

Kelus sighed.

"I still cannot believe it."

Janilius spoke.

"I was going to see Lucia. She had some information about Amann's...mental condition."

Kelus frowned.

"What mental condition?"

"Paranoia and unprovoked aggression."

"That's impossible. The regular medical check-ups would have found it."

"I don't know... but I am willing to find out. I am sure the Lower Council will agree to this. If Amann has gone rogue..."

Ramius shook his head.

"He wouldn't..."

Calin spoke.

"He is the most powerful among us. If he has turned rogue enough to assassinate his own wife...we must prepare. In the next session of the Lower Council, I will ask them to declare Amann... a traitor."

Janilius looked horrified.

"Come on, Calin! He is the senior High Councilor! He is the leader of our people!"

"He was the leader of our people! Galadriel is undoubtably biased because its her brother, Lucia is dead! Demos is gone to some distant planet doing whatever he does! Taelira is with Amann and her loyalty to him is unquestioned! We must elect a new High Council member to fill in for Lucia."

"We will ask Amann to return. We will ask him."

"He cannot be trusted anymore. Lucia was the only one holding the Lower Council in check. We need a new leader."

Kelus spoke.

"Janilius is the oldest and wisest among us. Why not him? I could file a motion."

Ramius nodded.

"Many will agree to it."

Janilius looked furious.

"Do not do this, my friends. We still have Demos and Taelira. They will return soon if we ask them. I am sure some reasonable course of action can be undertaken."

Ramius shook his head.

"Not soon enough. We must declare Amann a traitor and declare a state of emergency."

In silence, Janus smiled. The mighty and powerful Alesian Empire was within his grasp. With Amann declared traitor and him assuming the role of a High Councilor and with the support of the Lower Council, he could hunt down Amann, Demos, Galadriel, and Taelira.

_Some time later…_

Aramius was in his cell. He was wrapped in energy cuffs. Four guards were guarding him. Suddenly, the time stopped. Then a being shimmered into existence in front of Aramius. The figure lifted up his hand with a device and beamed it upon Aramius' forehead. After a moment, the figure whispered into his ear.

"You will confess that Amann has ordered you to assassinate Lucia because she knew that he has gone mad. Also, you will begrudgingly confess that Amann plans to kill the rest of the High Council and crown himself as an Emperor. You will forget I was here."

"Yes..."

The figure disappeared and the timeflow returned. Janus smiled as the transmission was broadcast to the entire Empire.

"All Alesian ships are recalled to Alesia. We must guard from attack from within. The Lower council has discovered overwhelming evidence that Councilor Amann has ordered the assassination of his own wife.

The reason given by the assassin is that Lucia knew of Amann's mental instability and was going have him removed from the council. The assassin also revealed that Amann planned to kill the rest of the High Council. Concilor Janilius has assumed the role of High Councilor in Amann's place. Henceforth the Alesian Empire declares Amann a traitor and he will be shot on sight."

_Near Cor'nu…_

Amann stood shellshocked as the transmission was received for the whole fleet to hear. Silence only echoed on the bridge as everyone stared at him. He looked at Galadriel and Taelira as they edged away from him. He took a step forward but halted as the soldiers on the bridge pointed their wrist blasters at him. Amann spoke in a wavering voice.

"You…can't believe that. I would never have killed her and I could not plan to kill you. You have to believe me. This…isn't in my nature. You know that."

Amann looked down and yelled.

"You have to believe it!"

"Take him to a holding cell. We will determine the truth."

The Legionnaires moved forward and tried to drag Amann away, but he screamed in fury and hit the nearest one. Amann fought hard against the dozen guards, but a well placed kick to the chest broke 3 of his ribs and he collapsed in agony. The guards took advantage of that by pressing their attack. He was dragged to his feet bruised and with a broken nose from getting hit in the face from an armored glove. With a gesture from the Drow princess, his limp form was dragged away to the brig. He was thrown into the shielded cell after being stripped of everything but the plain white robe he had underneath all the armor he had. Amann got up from where he landed on the hard white floor. The guards walked away as he walked to the shiny metal that was part of the bulkhead. He stared at himself and then screamed as he hit the walls with his hands and feet. His hands were being bruised and bloodied, but he didn't care as he vented his anger and frustration. He felt one of his hands break as his anger gave away to despair and grief over the news of his wife's death. He sat down on the bunk and stared at the wall. Tears ran down his cheek as he grieved alone. Finally, he laid down on the bunk and looked at the ceiling in despair. He fell asleep eventually despite the pain in his ribs and hand from the breaks.

(if this was a show, the camera would draw back with Amann on his bunk :P Dramatic effect hehe)


	16. Path of Redemption

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 16: Path of Redemption**

Another session of the Lower Council opened. Kelus and Ramius were louder than ever. Janilius, despite the growing support and his new position as the High Counciller was losing his voice in the council. Ramius and Kelus were gaining political support.

"Why do you hesitate, Councilor Janilius? Amann is clearly guilty! Demos has gone into hiding for the fear of Amann's attack. We do not know how many traitor captains are around!"

Kelus roared in the chamber. Janilius attempted to silence the crowd but was unsuccessful.

"Please, my friends. We are not the Ori! We do not resort to violence and death so easily."

Ramius spoke, cutting off Janilius.

"We are not the Alterans either! We have means to fight, and we should use it before we are destroyed once again! How long did it take us to rebuild our glorious civilization?"

_Elsewhere on Alesia…_

Councilor Hemmon was walking down the dark corridor. He stopped at a door and entered. Another councilor was waiting. Hemmon bowed his head and the other man answered back. Hemmon spoke.

"Brother, what news?"

"I have been appointed as an advisor to Janilius. So far, there is no incriminating evidence of any kind."

"Hammas, you also agreed that Janilius was suspicious."

"Yes, Hemmon. Unfortunately, I cannot get evidence that does not exist! I fear that it may not be Janilius after all."

"You mean Ramius and Kelus?"

"Yes. Janilius has become nothing but a puppet with a voice of conscience. If Janilius planned this, then he chose very wrong allies."

"Indeed, but we cannot let this go yet. Alert the Drow. As long as the secret connection between us and the Drow are hidden, they can act on Amann's behalf without interference from Janilius or anyone."

"Very well, brother. Be careful. Especially not to be followed."

"I understand."

Hemmon carefully exited the meeting and headed back to his house. He often turned around suddenly to check if he was followed. Seeing nothing, he continued. However, he was followed by someone using a cloaking device and hiding in dark places to avoid detection.

Somewhere in Alesia's darkest places, Janilius walked along. He moved into a room where was completely dark that nothing could be seen. Something spoke from inside the darkness.

"So?"

Janilius answered first.

"The disruption of the Lower Council continues. Amann and his spies will suspect me to be a mere puppet soon. Then I will be able to remove Ramius and Kelus using either the Drow or the remaining allies of Amann left in the city."

"You mean Hemmon and Hammas of Forwaih?"

"Yes. My work is progressing well. Ba'al and Anubis all think that they have the advantage."

"Be careful of Anubis... he is half-ascended... you must never meet him directly."

"I understand."

"Where is Amann now?"

"In a cell onboard the Angelan. Of more pressing concern is that ChiYou is approaching Earth and will be there soon on his mothership."

Janilius hissed.

"ChiYou! That damned parasite! I thought Ra and others of his race sealed him away for good."

The voice in the dark chuckled.

"All this has been foreseen. ChiYou, though he fights against us, he will unwittingly allow us to create a backup plan."

"You mean his secret factory worlds?"

"Yes. Once ChiYou becomes enslaved to our influence, his power will be ours."

Janilius smiled.

"Good."

The voice in the dark whispered.

"We must begin."

Janilius nodded and entered the darkness. Then the darkness gathered into a single figure. It turned into a human form. It became Janus the Ancient scientist who aided Elizabeth Weir, but this Janus had malicious eyes. Janilius was only a shell of his essence. After a moment, the darkness returned and Janilius walked out. Janilius spoke.

"The joining is always refreshing."

"Yes, here is a red crystal and the device required to influence ChiYou. You know what to do with it."

Janus smiled as his shell walked out. Soon Amann would be dead and the threat to the Ori would be destroyed. He knew Amann was a threat ever since he heard of him. It was only the saving grace of the Alteran High Council that stopped Amann's parents from being prosecuted. It was why he arranged for the accident that killed Amann's parents. It was too bad that Amann was not on the ship, but he would correct that soon. He would enjoy this before Amann was eliminated.

_Onboard the Angelan… _

Amann awoke painfully. His ribs felt like they were on fire. Groaning in pain, he got up and attempted to use his mind to contact his sister. A flash of pain erupted in his mind as he yelled. He had forgotten about the device that prevents anyone from using mental powers in the brig. He sat back on the bed as Galadriel walked in with Taelira. He looked at them and looked back at the wall. Galadriel then spoke.

"Well we have decided."

"And what have you decided, Galadriel? Death by firing squad or by spacing?"

"We will investigate this ourselves."

"Hah! To you I am already guilty. It is nice to know that I've been betrayed by my own people and even my own family! To suggest that I could kill Lucia is an offense to my honor! So drop the pretense then and get on with it. What do you need?"

"We want to scan your mind without resistance."

"And what if I say no? To enter my mind would mean violating any secrets I do have. I hardly trust even you, my own sister, after having been beaten down by the bridge guards and thrown in here without being healed. I've been in here a day without any treatment of my injuries. My ribs feel like someone applied a flame to them, and my hand is broken as well as my nose. Where were you then?"

"We do care, my dear brother. We needed time to think and you resisted us. I am sorry for the extent of your injuries, but you didn't give us much choice."

Amann laughed bitterly.

"Well now, so you do care. It would have been nice had you cared and sent the healer yesterday! Go ahead! Scan my mind and see the truth for yourself! And if you misabuse my trust and kill me when my defenses are lowered, it won't matter. Death would be welcome over being dragged home in chains and executed in public, which would happen if I refuse right?"

Amann closed his eyes and relaxed his mind. Galadriel moved forward and raised her hand. It glowed gold as she lowered the force field and placed it gently on Amann's head. After a moment, she drew in breath and lowered her hand.

"I……am sorry, brother."

Galadriel moved forward and hugged her brother as Amann stood there. After a moment, he spoke weakly.

"Galadriel, if you don't mind letting me go and get a healer here. I'm not exactly feeling good at the moment.

Galadriel let go as Amann collapsed on the ground on all fours. After a moment, he got weakly back up as the Healer walked in with an ancient healing device. It glowed blue as his injuries were healed. He looked over at his sister and turned away, resentment still burning inside. Galadriel gave her brother another hug and he finally returned it.

"You are……forgiven. But do not question my honor again."

"Of course not, but what are we to do? We got only 20 ships still loyal to you, including the Angelan. The Empire has orders to shoot you on sight."

"We must go to the one ally we have. We need to go to Earth. Perhaps other ships will join us out there."

"20 ships……against two thousand. It's madness."

"Nevertheless, Galadriel, it is all we have. Come, I need to go to my quarters. Taelira, come with us. We will need you."

Amann and the two women walked into his quarters. He sat down behind his desk and contacted the bridge.

"Bridge, set course for Earth. Broadcast the data Galadriel got from my mind to the rest of the fleet. I hope it will be enough to convince them of my innocence."

"Yes sir."

Amann shut off the terminal and looked at the other two councilors.

"We have to move and fast. The Empire will be able to track our movements. Earth is also under the Asgard's protection. I know that Alesia will not want to risk open war with the Asgard. They have more ships than we do and their technology is at least comparable to ours. This will give us time to prepare. I will request the human's help in retaking Alesia."

"Will that not weaken our position?"

"We have no choice. We have to gather more forces and return. Civil war is inevitable. We have to clean house, we have someone working against us and against our people. We must stop them before our empire and all of its people are destroyed!"

The Angelan and her escorts jumped into hyperspace and headed toward Earth. They exited near Saturn and held position. The Dedalus was in Earth orbit with Colonel Caldwell. He opened a channel to Stargate Command.

"General Hammond, we have visitors."

"Who?"

"Alesians sir. Many of them. They are holding position near Saturn. Intentions are unknown."

"Very well, monitor them."

"General, 6 of the ships have broken off and are approaching Earth."

"Go to maximum alert."

The Dedalus trained its railguns and missiles on the ships approaching but did not fire. The Alesian ships went past the Dedalus and, to the amazement of her crew, pulled alongside and orbited with the Dedalus. Amann smiled as the Angelan dwarfed the earth ship. He beamed down to the planet's surface.

--

President Hayes was sitting at his desk alone. It was late at night and he was about to turn in for the night. A flash got his attention and he looked up to see Councilor Amann alone without any guards. It was Amann who spoke first.

"Good evening, Mr. President. I am sorry for coming uninvited, but the matter cannot wait. It is of the utmost urgency."

"No worries councilor. Please sit."

Hayes gestured toward the couch near his desk. Amann looked at it and sat down. After a minute of paper gathering, Hayes looked up.

"What can I do for you?"

"Well, I have been…..exiled from my home. My wife was killed and I was framed for it. My people believe that I ordered her death. I did no such thing and it was confirmed by a mind scan, but right now, the only people that remain loyal to me is the fleet in your system. I wish to enlist your aid and that of the Asgard in retaking my place among the Council and putting those who did murder my wife into the hands of justice. More Alesian ships will come as some will hear of what truly transpired, but I take a risk coming here. I have nowhere else to turn right now and I need your world's help."

"I see. But will not the Alesian Empire want to track you down and kill you?"

"They would not risk war with the Asgard. As much as I hate to admit it, the Asgard have more ships and their tech is only somewhat inferior to ours. It is a war the Alesians might lose and the Asgard do not want to see such a war. It would cost both sides, probably resulting in mutual destruction. We do not possess a clear advantage in that regard. Your world is safe for now, Mr. President. I ask for your aid. I was the one who wanted the treaty with your world. I pushed it through despite many objections from my people. You can repay my trouble by aiding me. I can start with some upgrades to the Dedalus."

Hayes thought for a moment.

"It is possible, but Earth can only use small strike teams and a ship or 2. We only have 3 ships that are functional."

"Any aid would be appreciated Mr. President."

"As for the news of your wife's death, I am sorry to hear that and you have my condolences."

"Lucia…….had been with me for 9,000 years. It is not easy to get over. Life is all but too short sometimes, even with the lifespan of an Alesian."

Amann smiled somewhat sadly as he beamed up to the Angelan. Amann's thought streamed to the unit with the device in his armor and the map zoomed in on the Terran solar system. It showed the 2 Terran warships along with the 6 ships originally part of the escort of the Angelan. The remaining 14 Alesian ships were patrolling near Saturn. Amann smiled and split the holographic image in two to show the Pegasus galaxy. The ships outlined in blue represented Alesian ships, everyone in the room clearly could see that there were hunndreds if not thousands of Alesian warships. One fleet was clearly seen making the trip between the void of the galaxies. 20 ships from Taelira's own personal fleet were moving to join Amann. Galadriel looked at her brother as he walked to his command chair.

"Amann, we have word from General Ayen on the AES Galadriel. His detachment of 5 ships are inbound. He will join us. Taelira also managed to gather 20 more ships loyal to you. We will have 55 ships able to strike into the Empire and to gather more forces."

"That is…..a start anyway, we must evade detection. I propose using our cloaks until we get to the Arcturus Nebula. It is on the edge of the Milky Way disk. Then we will move into the void and reenter near Alesia. We will more than likely evade most of the forces present, but we can get those standing in the way and gather them on our side."

NABIS appeared next to Amann in her holographic form.

"Incoming message from Alesia, Councilor. Patch it through?"

"Yes"

A small hologram featuring a Lower Counciler appeared. He was Hemmon, a good man and trusted ally of Amann, and Amann's spy in the Lower Council. Hemmon saluted with a fist to the chest.

"I am glad that you are still fine, Councilor. Do not worry, this channel is heavily encrypted. Still, I do not have much time. I have some news. Janilius has taken a place in the High Council, and some of your allies here think that it is Janilius who orchestrated all this... but... Ramius and Kelus are acting strange. They are very aggressive on your execution while Janilius is trying to clear your name. This could all be some trick, but as far as I can tell, Ramius and Kelus are secretly convinced that Janilius is the traitor. Without Janilius, those two are the most senior in the Lower Council, and they will become High Councilors. Wait... I must go. I don't know when I can contact you again. Take care, my lord. Be wary... nothing is what it seems right now. We don't know who the real enemies are. I'm sending you a list of seventeen captains, and eleven Lower Councilors who will support you when you return."

The hologram disappeared as Amann and Galadriel looked at each other. It was Amann who spoke.

"Wait for the extra ships to arrive and then cloak and depart. I will be in my quarters."

Amann and Galadriel walked to his quarters. He sat back down and picked up the holocube next to his desk. An image of his wife flashed as he stared at it in thought. Galadriel knew that he grieved inside. She entered his mind and calmed him down before he was rested in his chair. They would soon be joined by their allies and they would travel. But for now, Amann needed sleep and relaxation more than anything before they retook what was theirs.


	17. Darkest Before The Dawn

Addressing a review.

foley, well, as we can see, many of the Alesians dont believe the story of Amann turning, but some do. Most are loyal to Amann once he reasserts his authority. It was just that Amann left and that is when he was weakest, and Janus took full advantage of it.

--------

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 17: Darkest Before The Dawn**

Amann was in his quarters as the loyalist fleets gathered in the Terran system. Most of the 55 ships were near Saturn. General Ayen beamed directly outside and walked in to find the 3 councilors inside. Amann sat at his desk while Galadriel and Taelira stood flanked him on either side.

"My flagship and its escorts have joined our consolidated fleet, Councilor."

"Good. You have done well General Ayen. I am glad to have you on my side."

"If I did not believe in you Councilor, I probably would not be. But you are a good man and I believe you are the best hope for our people."

"Thank you General Ayen, those words mean alot in this current crisis. Councilor Taelira, report on the status of the Drow army. Has it pledged its loyalty to our cause?"

"My mother has pledged her army to aid you, Councilor. She has 100,000 plus soldiers awaiting orders to retake the capital city. The guard on the city is very sparse since most of the forces are deployed in orbit or in the other major cities. The Council itself is not well guarded."

"Are they so unafraid then?"

"Apparently they think that the fleet in orbit with its defense grid will protect them from any external invasion."

"Then they know absolutely nothing of the underground?"

"No. As you well know, not many Alesians are allowed in our underground cities and those who are allowed happen to be extremely loyal to you. They know nothing of our plans. As far as they are concerned, we make the armor for the Empire's ships and soldiers. The Drow pledge their loyalty to Amann. Many of the people on Alesia do not really believe the stories about you, you will enjoy substantial support from the population since the takeover was so sudden."

"Your loyalties are noted Taelira. Your people will be vastly rewarded for it. I would like the Drow to seize the entire council when we get within 50 light years of Alesia. There will be so much confusion that the defending fleet will not be able to react when we come out of hyperspace. The Drow will order the Council to surrender the Empire to my command. The retaking will cost few lives. Janilius, Ramius, and Kelus are to be seized immediately and thrown in cells until I interrogate each of them and determine who is the guilty one. If any soldiers are killed, have them revived immediately, for they only protect their homes and their leaders, and that is no crime."

Amann paused for breath.

"Give those orders to your mother and hopefully in 2 days time, we will all be drinking in my home on Alesia once more."

Amann turned away as the orders were given. They will soon see if the plan will work or not. He absentmindedly held the holocube of Lucia in his hand as the fleet made to depart. He made to get up when the alarm sounded. He immediately hailed the bridge.

"Amann to bridge, report!"

"A Goa'uld Ha'tak has exited hyperspace. It is approaching Earth."

"What? One ship? Target weapons on it and tell it to leave immediately or die."

"It is hailing us. I think you need to come up here, sir."

"Very well, I will be there in a moment."

Amann looked strangely at the rest before all of them fell in line behind him. Amann walked into the bridge and sat down in the control chair.

"Who is it, Legionnaire?"

"He wants visual contact before he identifies himself."

"Yes, go ahead."

The screen flashed as a man in red armor stood up. His features suggested Korean origin, however he was much larger than the average Korean. He spoke in a deep voice.

"I am ChiYou, last of my clan. Who challenges my ship?"

Amann stared at the screen as if studying his opponent, then replied.

"I am High Councilor Amann of the Alesian Empire. You are of the System Lords?"

"That would be correct. However I have been asleep in the past four thousand years. I have only just recently awoke and heard about Anubis. I come to Tauri to ally with them in the hopes of stopping him."

"A Goa'uld allying with Earth? Most would only do so if they had something to gain. What do you have to gain, you parasite?"

ChiYou's eyes flashed red in anger.

"You dare insult me? My host willingly accepted my symbiote, unlike most of my kind. You have many ships, but my ship is the most powerful warship the Goa'uld had ever seen!"

Amann glared at the man in red armor as a Legionnaire walked up with a report. He glanced at it and looked up.

"Your ship contains high quality Protoss technology. When did you encounter the Protoss? How do you come by their technology?"

"I met the Protoss long ago and they showed me the follies of my race. It is why my clan was overthrown and myself placed in stasis, hidden away from the System Lords."

"At least you have a sense of right and wrong, more than I expect from a Goa'uld. So you wish to ally with the humans against Anubis hmmm? The Asgard swore to protect this world and even if we let you through, I suggest u warn the humans that you are arriving. We could expedite matters by telling you of your arrival, but we have little time. Our enemy has some of the Protoss technology. It has proven effective against our Ancient technologies. I suggest that you help us in order to defeat the common enemy. Some information on how to resist the weapons would be extremely helpful. The Tauri as you call them are sending a ship with us, if you also come with us, it will show good faith in destroying our enemy."

ChiYou thought a moment.

"I see. And who is this enemy?"

"The System Lords, Anubis, and also a faction on Alesia that has taken over my government. I suspect outside interference for this plot to occur. Will you aid us?"

"I will consider this request. Standby while I talk to the Tauri."

Chiyou shut off his communication system as Amann looked at the Ha'tak. It looked mostly like the normal ones, except this one had all sorts of numerous weapons hanging off that that were not of Goa'uld design.

_Several hours later…_

Amann was in his quarters as ChiYou walked in the door. He was still dressed in his redscale armor. Amann stood up and addressed the Goa'uld.

"Welcome ChiYou to the Alesian Empire Ship Angelan. You have spoken to the Tauri and know of the whole situation. Earth is sending the Dedalus with us to act as support, but we could use all the help we can get. Will you be coming with us to aid in our fight?"

"I have thought long and hard about it, Amann of Alesia. My empire is all but gone. The ship I have is all that remains of my fleet and armies. My philosophy of taking a host willingly has been lost among my kind."

"Not lost Chiyou. The Tok'ra rebellion was influenced by what you have said. You disappeared four thousand years ago, but the Tok'ra arose about 2500 years ago. Their queen apparently paid attention to what you said."

"Then I will ally myself with Earth, the Tok'ra, and you. This alliance represents the last best hope of my kind to not be tyrannical, evil dictators. My Jaffa knew I was no God, though I do possess much in the way of mental power. Let us go then to your world and take back what is yours."

"Then return to your ship, ChiYou. We have much work ahead of us."

ChiYou was beamed back to his ship. The 55 Alesian ships, the Dedalus, and ChiYou's ship entered hyperspace toward the Arcturus Nebula. A few hours later, they arrived at the nebula, no longer detectable by any Alesian sensors. The fleet was so far undetected by the imperial fleet. Amann realized the cloaks on his ships are useless in the nebula but they could cloak again once they left the nebula and continued on course to Alesia itself. Once there, he would meet Janilius and depose of him. He was utterly convinced Janilius was behind the plot, but the behaviors of Ramus and Kelus were most suspicious.

--

Janilius entered the dark room and found Janus hovering there in his dark form. He began to speak to the black cloud.

"Amann is moving."

"Where is he?"

"Inside the Arcturus Nebula. It appears they are about to move out of the nebula and toward Alesia."

Janilius nodded.

"So everything is going according to plan though Amann is moving a bit fast for my taste."

Janus chuckled.

"Worry not, Janilius. Everything is well within their parameters. Amann will soon face an Alesian patrol whose loyalty lies to Kelus. The patrol ship, despite all odds, will survive and relay the impending invasion to the Council."

Janilius nodded again.

"Yes, but it will be a bit late for the Council and for the Drow. I will have Ramius forge my sign on an executive order to flush out the Drow and executed for high treason. Of course, one of my assistants will record and display to the public that Ramius pressured me to do this."

"Do not forget to publicly deny and condemn the action."

"Yes. All must assume that I am the victim from now on."

"When Kelus orders the ships still loyal to Amann to engage Amann's fleet under the executive order from the council, they will meet a tragic destruction which will be mourned by the whole of Alesia."

"The phantom fleet is ready then."

"More than ready, Janilius. They will sweep beneath the defense grid and bombard civilian areas, causing an uproar. When Amann truly returns, he will find that his support is no longer as strong as it had been before."

"Then I will condemn Amann for his cruel actions and finally recognize him as a war criminal as well as a traitor."

Janilius nodded at the essence and left to go home to plan.

--

Two guards stood outside the council room doors, thanks to the high magic, none suspected they were not Alesian, they were both Drow, their hearing let them hear anything said within the council chamber. Since the pair were facing each other they used their sign language with their hands to the other. One of the drow signaled to the other.

_"You think we must act?"_

_"No, we wait for word from the High Queen. None suspect anything. nor will they do so."_

_"We wait then for word from the High Queen."_

A minute later word was given for change of guard. Two more Drow disguised as Alesians took their place. The first went directly to the Drow cities far underground to give their report to the High Queen. Demos was there when the pair arrived, now dressed in dark brown Drow armor. High Queen Nickoliedia was seated on her throne next to the standing Demos. At several million years old, she was the eldest of her kind and the most powerful. She spoke in a harsh voice.

"Speak."

One of the soldiers dropped on one knee towards the High Queen.

"Orders were given to rout the Drow, yet how they could find us is unknown. They do not suspect that their own bolstered army has over half of it under our control. Many Legion commanders will fight for Amann when the time comes."

_"_When they begin to rout us, they lose most of their army to the rightful rulers of Alesia. There is an enemy on Alesia. Amann is not it. For his son is being cared for in my own chambers at this time. Keep watch over him. He is young"

Demos interrupted.

"You would forgive me for saying this, but this might not be a good time for him to get an education on Drow mating rituals."

The Drow Queen smiled as she laughed in her deep voice.

"Do not worry. One of my daughters had taken an interest in him. She can be…..persuasive."

Demos frowned then laughed.

"Yes, I am sure she could be at that. I've seen how Drow females persuade."

The Drow Queen smiled archly at the older man.

"Would you care to be persuaded, Councilor Demos?"

"Ahhhh, not right now. Perhaps later?"

The Drow Queen sighed.

"Very well. What news from Amann and Taelira?"

"They are enroute to Alesia. They will be here in a day. We must be quick."

--

The whole of Alesia was quickly thrown into utter chaos within a matter or hours. When Ramius forced the Lower Council to ratify the executive order declaring the Drow as outlaws, the uproar was tremendous. Though the Alesians were aloof in their arrogance, the Drow had been a good ally for them throughout the ages, and the civilians were outraged.

Strangely enough, Ramius still controlled most of the ground forces with iron grip, only the Drow and the few Alesians in the ranks fled from the main government buildings. Most strange fact was that over fifty thousand troops in full Alesian military garb appeared out of nowhere, aiding Ramius. At the order of Ramius, these soldiers began to scour the capital city of any Drow or any Alesian who were helping them. These soldiers had no faces, but obeyed orders mercilessly. They acted like drones. As for the mighty space fleet of the Alesian Empire, Kelus, as the former High Admiral of the fleet, quickly seized control in the name of the Lower Council. Like the planet below, tens of thousands of strange Alesian troops appeared out of nowhere and filtered through the fleet.

As for Janilius, he was put under house arrest after he publicly spoke out against Ramius and Kelus. His household guards were executed and his assistants arrested. Though not before one of Janilius' assistants circulated the recording of Ramius forging the executive order in the name of Janilius. The public's opinion quickly turned to favour and pity Janilius. They began to think of him as a man who was thrusted into the political game of evil men like Ramius and Kelus and forced to take all the blame.

All was going according to plan.

--

A small patrol ship under the command of a minor captain was ordered to patrol the edges of the nebula by the Lower Counciler Kelus. Kelus was the head of his clan but the captain did not feel that much loyalty to him. He still thought of Amann as a great hero. When Kelus told him personally that Amann was returning with an armada to lay siege to Alesia and to kill all those who were truly dedicated to Alesia and not to Amann. The captain could not believe him but something in his head told him it was true. It was a foreign voice... but it was so convincing. As he mused, one of his officers spoke to him.

"Sir, we have detected ships coming out of the nebula."

"What?"

"The signals belong to Lord Amann. It is a vanguard of a large fleet."

"Impossible..."

However, the things in hs head clicked together, albeit a bit forcefully. The captain turned to his officers.

"Shields and weapons up. Prepare for hyperspace jump back to Alesia."

--

Taelira returned to her flagship. The Drow only had a handful of ships, but they were equipped with Alesian weapons and technologies, which made them as formidable.

"Ma'am, a ship is heading towards us in hyperspace. Shall I engage the gravity well?"

The only humans on her ship were two Alesian Soldiers, her advisors Amann called them, but she knew that they were for her protection. There was no telling who had turned traitor, even among the Drow. She spoke in a harsh voice.

"Do it."

The gravity well was engaged, forcing the smaller Alesian craft from entering hyperspace.

"Put me on a channel to that ship."

A moment later Taelira spoke.

"This is High Princess Taelira, stand down your weapons or be destroyed."

The captain of the ship answered.

"I am an Alesian, filthy Drow! I will not submit to the traitor Amann nor his lackeys!"

Suddenly, hyperspace window opened and at least fifty Alesian beam weapons came out. Such was impossible, but in fact, there was a cloaked fleet of strange ships that could fire weapons while in cloak, which was impossible even for the Alterans, Alesians and the Ori. Such was the secret technology amassed by Janus and others. The cloaked ships continually fired the beam weapons at unimaginable rates of fire upon the fleet, protecting the Alesian patrol ship. Another hyperspace window opened, and a strange ship, elegant in its design and looking like a flawlessly carved white marble, appeared. When it appeared, the gravity well effect suddenly disappeared, much to the surprise of anyone. Such technology was impossible... physically impossible. Nothing of this universe could do such a thing. The patrol ship entered hyperspace window not knowing where the help came from.

The strange fleet maintained their cloak as they protected the patrol ship from Drow attacks. They quickly moved around the white ship in formation, forming a large wall before the Drow fleet. When they were in formation, they resumed their firing, though it was obvious that their attacks were not actually targeted at the Drow ships but as a deterrent.

Amann glared at the cloaked ships from the bridge of the Angelan.

"Fire all beam weapons and ion cannon batteries. Full dispersal pattern. Concentrate fire on shield impacts. Have all ships triangulate their fire on found targets and destroy them. Those are not Alesian ships, no Alesian ship can fire under cloak. They are enemies and we must kill them. If any Alesian ships attack, only disable them. Do not destroy."

Amann sat down in the command chair, awaiting with the drones to target found enemy ships.

The mysterious fleet were exactly 9 in number plus the small white ship. The ships were of almost exactly same design as the white ship, which looked like a cocoon with spikes growing out of it. These ships decloaked, revealing a yellow color. They stopped firing the moment Amann ordered his fleet to attack. They simply waited there. Just as the beam weapons and ion beams struck the black ships, the ships seemed to waver, and the beam weapons and the bolts of ion cannons simply went through the ships, leaving no damage. Fortunately for the Alesians, the drones fared a bit better. Even though the black ships wavered like before, the drones collided into what appeared to be their shields. It was surprising since no shields have ever stopped the drones before. However, these black ships were something else all together. Just as the Alesians fired their second volleys, a great swirl of blue energy formed around the black ships, originating from the white ship. Within a second the mysterious fleet disappeared.

While the rest of the Alesians looked on stunned, only Amann, being a half-ascended, recognised the Protoss Dimensional Recall that allowed the mysterious fleet to escape.

"Protoss technology. What is going on? Are the Protoss at war with us or something? Legionnaire, run a full report on what the sensors picked up. Maybe this will help us with this new foe. They are not Alesian, yet they are trying to stop us. We need to know what this new enemy is as soon as possible"

"Yes Councilor."

--

When word reached the Drow cities far below Nickolideia smiled to herself. She got up from where she sat. An odd green mist began to swirl about her feet. It made even the most battle hardened Drow soldier in the room take a step back.

"So it has come to it at last has it? Call the worldship. It is time to cleanse this world."

Out in space a ship, larger then anyone had ever seen appeared from nowhere, it was huge, at least the same size as one of Alesia's moons. It moved towards the fleet. The Drow mothership as they called it, was the pinnacle of Drow ship building. It was hundreds of thousands of years old. Alesian weapons were also integrated into it, giving it additional firepower. Drones from the Alesian ships exploded against the shields of the massive ship as it neared ever closer to the planet, causing the normally temperate planet to begin to grow increasingly warm.

Down within the planet itself where the Drow lived nothing changed. However a message was sent to the Alesians.

"To those who considered us friends. Your time upon this world has come to an end. To survivie you must take a new world for yourselves. This world belongs to the Drow."

As the message was sent out, tens of thousands of Drow soldiers revealed themselves to the Alesians. Aided by the loyalist legionnaires that Amann had gathered, they started to fight the mysterious soldiers sent by Kelus. No Alesian recognized the Legion symbols attached to the ranks of the faceless soldiers. As tensions increased and the Drow's massive ship came closer toward Alesia, hyperspace window formed and a hundred Aurora class ships appeared, manned by the same mysterious Alesian soldiers who refused to show their faces.

On the planet itself, the stargate opened and hundreds of columns of Alesian soldiers, in 5 by 20, came through, quickly fanning out through the streets in response to the Drow rebellion. From various Alesian buildings throughout the entire planet came out more mysterious soldiers, numbering in almost a hundred thousand, and began to fortify their positions. The public turned on the Lower Council and they roared for the return of Janilius to power as the last High Counciller remaining on Alesia. The Lower Council, under the control of Ramius and Kelus, flatly refused. The real Alesian military began to turn as well. All of the Alesian soldiers joined the ranks of the Drow who have been virtually on their own for several hours. Ramius and Kelus were now solely dependent upon the mysterious Alesian soldiers. With a flash, Amann's fleet arrived. What they saw was unexpected. A fleet numbering over 1500 ships awaited them. Amann was stunned.

"This is not good. We are outnumbed 30 to 1 here. All ships, prepare for battle. Hail them. Maybe we can work this out peacefully."

Amann sat down on his chair as the screen flashed to reveal a commander.

"This is High Councilor Amann, are you with us or against us in retaking what is ours?"

_To be continued…_


	18. Patriotic to the Promised Land

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 18: Patriotic to the Promised Land**

Amann's hail was answered by the General in command of the AES _Starfire_.

"Councilor Amann, most of the fleet is now loyal to your cause now that we have seen the follies of the Lower Council."

Amann smiled as most of the fleet over the planet turned to his command. With the sole exception of the 100 Auroras, most of the Alesian fleet was under his command once more.

" Open a channel to the entire Empire. Get me Ramius and Kelus as well. They will answer for it. "

" Done sir. "

The screen flashed as the image of Amann appeared everywhere in the Empire. Ramius and Kelus looked on in anger as Amann spoke.

"Fellow Alesians, I have returned to answer the charges put forth at me. I have placed in the public records what I have said to the fleet under my command regarding the High Council and why I could not commit any of the crimes I am accused of. Simply put, I cannot kill my own family, for they are the only ones keeping my power in control. If my power were unleashed and I were to go truly insane, the galaxy itself would be ripped apart by my sheer ascended power. I would be killed eventually, but the galaxy would be devestated and untold trillions would lose their lives. I ask for the armies of Kelus and Ramius to stand down and end the fighting. Enough Alesian blood has been spilt this day. You are outmatched and you cannot possibly win. Surrender now and be spared. I will answer you in person to the charges you have leveled. Meet me at the Alesian High Court in one hour. I also request a ceasefire until we meet. If I convince you, lay down your arms and be treated mercifully. If I don't convince you, then by all means fight to the bitter end."

Amann waited for the confirmation from Kelus and Ramius. But Ramius and Kelus could not be convinced. As if under some enchantment, the two Councilors ordered their forces to kill and destroy anyone and anything in sight. Within minutes, cities across the planet began to burn as the mysterious soldiers began to kill civilians and infrastructure. Janus smiled while the Empire was thrown into chaos as the real Alesian soldiers fought the faceless shells of the soldiers he gave Kelus and Ramius. They were nothing more than shadows of himself, but they were able to kill like any other soldier.

It was all part of the plan.

--

Aboard _Hierocalimus_, a powerful Alesian battleship, its captain Thelmerius stood up as the mysterious Alesian soldiers rushed into the command, killing his officers. Before he could do anything, he was stunned. Thelmerius was loyal to Amann, and had hidden his loyalty, waiting for Amann's return. When Amann arrived, and Ramius and Kelus made terrible decisions, he quickly rejoined Amann. That was why these soldiers were targeting him.

A black figure appeared in front of the unconscious captain. The figure raised his hands above Telmerius' head. After a moment, he woke up. Thelmerius was dazed and he saw the black figure as Amann. Thelmerius saluted him.

"Councilor Amann, what are you doing here?"

The figure spoke in a voice totally different from Amann's voice, but Thelmerius heard Amann's voice.

"I order you to fire on the planet, in my name."

"Yes, sir."

The black man disappeared, and the mysterious soldiers began to man the stations.

--

There was still some distance between the main Alesian fleet and Amann's fleet. While the 100 Auroras moved in between them, what happened to Thelmerius happened to many other captains and their ships. These ships turned and begin targeting the planet, with most of their weapons concentrated on the civilian sectors and known Drow caverns closer to the surface. Meanwhile, the 100 Auroras powered up their weapons and targeted Amann's fleet.

The Drow Worldship got ever closer to the planet, the normally cold world began to burn, steam poured from the rivers and lakes as they dried within the hour as the moon sized craft got ever closer with its gravity well. None suspected the ship to be such a thing, thinking it a normal moon in orbit of the planet with a small base on it. How mistaken they were. The small Drow fleet sheared through a block of corrupted ships as if they were butter.

Amann's fleet charged the Aurora class ships. While the Auroras were of inferior technology to the Angelan destroyers and Vengeance class battleships, there were more of them and that posed a danger. Amann ordered the Angelan to attack speed as his ship bore down on the lead Aurora. The drones from the ship impacted on the shields of the Angelan and sparks flew out of the console, but the 3 beam weapons lanced out and destroyed the Aurora class ship as the rest of the fleet got within range of the Auroras and began to furiously fire their weapons.

The main Alesian fleet was sent a signal to stop firing, but many thousands of civilians were already dead. The fighting soldiers on the planet hacked away at each other, but it seemed those soldiers of Alesia were better trained than the faceless soldiers sent by Kelus. They fought their way to the High Council chamber deep within High Command.

Drow and Alesian alike, fought side by side against this new enemy, their faces unseen. The Drow were in a battle lust now, which was a frightening sight to behold. Dozens of Drow, having no armor, relied on speed and their mental prowness to keep the enemy at bay. The Alesians relied on their toughness and superior firepower to mow down the enemy, coupled with their technology and their relative mobility, they were second only to the Drow in terms of fighting, and a close second at that.

Taelira herself headed for land. disappearing from her ship, only to reappear in the main council chambers, right in front of the two corrupted council members. Taelira stood there, dressed only in her battle armor. The normally peaceful green eyes now looked as if one had crossed her one too many times. She waited for their reaction. Amann was home, as was she. And this was soon going to end. Taelira smiled, making the pair take a step back.

_"_Good to see you two again. Is it not clear yet of how much of a waste of space and time you both are to your people?"

Kelus snickered, Ramius looked a bit stern faced, as if he were used to it. But then again, niether of them were a match for Taelira. Taelira made a motion with her arms, and one of the tables flew at the councilors. Both ducked for cover as the table crashed into the opposite wall. The mysterious soldiers blocked her path as she advanced, protecting their masters. Then they pointed their weapons at her. Kelus chuckled.

"Filthy Drow bitch! You will know the wrath of Alesia!"

As Taelira moved forward, the soldiers guarding the two men fired at her. Kelus stared at her for a moment with anger in his eyes, and pressed a button on the desk in front of him. With a flash, he was teleported. Ramius panicked as he pointed at Taelira.

"Kill her!"

Then he fiddled with the controls, and he was teleported to a command bunker under one of the military installations between the Council Building and the main starports. Guarded by hundreds of mysterious soldiers and jamming system that blocked any beaming into the bunker, Ramius felt safe and began to call all his military assets to protect himself.

--

Kelus was teleported up to the higher tiers of the Council building, also protected by a hundred soldiers, and managing direct communications with the fleet. He was busy trying to sway some of the captains that were supporting Amann.

"Don't you see captains? Amann will use this to destroy all those who oppose him. The ships that are firing upon the planet were all under Amann's command once. Their captains were his loyalists. Because they fire upon the civilians, they would turn against him, but for his claim that those ships are not under his command."

"But..."

"Don't you see? Amann has brought the Drow to destroy all his opposition! Anyone who disagree with him will die like his own wife! He claims he cannot kill his family, but the temptation of power is great, and greater for a man such as Amann"

"Well, it was his assistant who killed Lady Lucia."

"Exactly!"

"What about High Counciller Janilius?"

"Janilius is a fool! He knew that Lucia was killed by Amann, yet he still defends the man. Janilius will not oppose Amann. He is a traitor also."

"What do you want us to do?"

"Flee from Alesia! Still many ships are with us, brothers. Flee to the outer regions of the Empire. We shall gather in a great fleet and crush those who oppose liberty and freedom. It pains me to say it, but because of Amann, a civil war is inevitable."

"Why?"

"He has brought the filthy Drow to fight for him! This was a matter of the Alesians not of the Drow, but Amann used the Drow to infiltrate the empire. You have seen the extent of their presence among the ground forces!"

"Well, that is true... very well, Counciller Kelus. We will depart for now. We will await your orders."

"Thank you, captains. Alesia will remember your name as those who fought against tyrany and injustice!"

When the communications were cut, Kelus stood up and pressed a few buttons. He and his guards were beamed to the stargate, which was strongly controlled by the mysterious soldiers. Then Kelus dialed an address and entered the Stargate, followed by several hundred of the soldiers.

--

The brainwashed captains began to broadcast public messages that the bombing of the civilian sectors were ordered by Amann. The rumors of Amann's madness and his apparent desertion to another galaxy had bred much suspicion about Amann. While the Alesians were much smarter to fall for such rumors in normal times, but with their own ships firing on the planet and several of the captains who fired upon them were well known loyalists.

In the High Council Chamber, they found few remaining household guards of Janilius and Amann fighting against overwhelming number of faceless soldiers, protecting Janilius, who was severely injured.

--

When the Drow began to fire upon their ships, the main Alesian fleet above Alesia, not knowing their true intent or the duplicity of the corrupted ships, began returning fire against the Drow fleet. After all, they were not about to take crap from no one, not even the Drow. Hundreds of beam weapons and vast swarms of drones were fired at the Drow ships, before Amann could contact them and stop them. Amann was furious as he stood on the bridge of the Angelan. Amann snarled in fury over the general broadcast.

"Stop firing you fools! Fire on the ships attacking the planet! Disable them now! Do not target the Drow. Drow ships, help the main fleet take out the renegade crews. Disable them and then beam soldiers to the planet and aid the loyalists. I will be victorious this day."

"Councilor, some of the ships are breaking formation. They are leaving."

"What?"

From the orbit of the planet, among the uncorrupted ships, about 800 began to break formation and prepared to enter hyperspace, fleeing from the attack. The remaining half began systematically disabling the ships that were firing upon the planet's surface. Amann gritted his teeth in rage.

"Hail them"

"But…"

"Do it!"

The soldier adjusted the controls as Amann appeared to the departing ships.

"Alesians! Hold your position. I will have the answer found out this day! Something strange is going on here. I did not order the fleet to fire on Alesia. Witness my ships disabling the ones that are and witness the true orders over the NABIS tactical networks. I am not a madman nor am I a power hungry dictator. I founded the Empire milennia ago. I do not desire power. I am content with leading the High Council. It has always been my birthright. The Empire has been started and built under my leadership. Some of you may think otherwise, but I urge you to reconsider it. These events have all been aimed at my overthrow and my destruction. Who is the power hungry players here? Myself who has held power for 20,000 years? Or the new Councilors Ramius and Kelus, who have tried to overthrow me? Use your logic and your common sense! Even now, they ask you to run away to fight the Empire? Only the enemies of your homeland will want you to run away and continue to fight like rebels. I am High Councilor by popular appointment. I cannot go any further with my power than I already have. Consider that. Any captains who return to the Empire will be forgiven. The door is open, brothers."

Amann stopped broadcasting.

"Councilor, about 50 of the ships are turning back, they say they are willing to hear you out. If it is not good enough, they will rejoin the rebel fleet."

"That is all we can ask now. Tell them to hold position while we sort this mess out."

Amann nodded to the crewman and beamed down to the surface. He found Janilius in one of the hospitals. Janilius was holding his arm as the wound was bandaged until it could be healed properly. Amann spoke sadly.

"I heard from the rest of the fleet how you defended me when the majority wanted to kill me."

Janilius smiled at him.

"It was the right thing to do, councilor. Anyone who has served under you personally knows that you were incapable of such acts."

"Indeed. I have heard Ramius is locked in one of the command bunkers with hostages."

"Yes, he is holding several hundred of Alesia's most important businessmen and merchants. He intends to kill them if he is not let go."

"We both have lost a great deal here today Janilius. Your efforts to clear my name will not go unrewarded. It is good to know that men such as yourself exist. Those people who were willing to listen to me and judge based on both sides of the story. Now, you will need your rest. I will ensure you are properly cared for. I have lost my wife to this conflict, you almost lost your life. In the end, we will make sure those sacrifices are not in vain. I will go to deal with Ramius myself. He will not expect me. You rest for now. I will be back."

Amann patted Janilius on the shoulder in friendship and walked out. He beamed to the entrance of the command bunker. The 100,000 legionnaires surrounding the place were under his command after all. He picked up a communicator.

"Councilor Ramius, you have fled to this bunker accusing me of charges that I am not guilty of. I want you to let the hostages go. No harm will come to you or your soldiers. I have won back control of the Empire. There can be no purpose in this slaughter. Release the civilians, they have nothing to do with this. I want you to consider the offer that you will not be harmed, nor imprisoned. I wish to talk to you face to face. I await outside the one entrance. Amann out. "

Amann let go of the trasmit crystal and waited. Ramius answered quickly.

"I have proof that you ordered the murder of your wife! I know you tried to wipe out the High Council for absolute control. Now I realise that Janilius was your spy! He was to infiltrate the Lower Council! I know your plans now, Amann. You will never bow the empire before your tyranny! Kelus and I will stop you!"

As Amann watched, pupils of Ramius seemed to move wildly. It was obvious that Ramius had gone mad for some reason.

"This madness as you call it is in your mind. Not out here. I did not kill my wife. Something else is going on here. Several captains who returned swear that they had me ordered them to fire on the planet. I did not order such a thing. I could not because the account of the entire bridge crew witnessed me onboard the Angelan, not on those ships. So it is a lie. My unknown enemy is here. You are not that enemy. You are being twisted, controlled. You need to fight it. It is the only way to ensure that you believe the truth."

Ramius foamed around his mouth.

"I don't believe you, tyrant! You are the murder of innocents! By your order, your captains have killed thousands of citizens. You will not make me come out there, Amann. You will have to come in here to kill me!"

Amann spoke in a loud voice.

"Ramius! Listen to me carefully. What you say is not rational. If anyone here is crazy, it is you. Listen to yourself. Release the civilians. Holding them hostage will not serve any purpose. I have assured you no harm would come to you. You won't be imprisoned or killed. "

Ramius screamed in rage.

"You will never capture me alive!"

Amann sighed in resignation, then blurred his image as he shifted into his half ascended form. He walked into the compound and began to kill the soldiers inside the complex, making his way toward the hostages. The soldiers loyal to him followed at a safe distance as balls of energy and lightning struck the faceless soldiers 200 meters away. The mysterious soldiers did not cower in fear. They simply fired their weapons at Amann's form even though it did almost nothing. With more and more soldiers killed, Amann's forces swarmed in and engaged in battles where the enemies did not hold hostages. It took a while but the hostages were all free except a few more important people in the core of the bunker where Ramius seethed in anger. Amann moved his way deeper into the complex where Ramius was. Glowing blue in rage, he killed the guards outside the door to Ramius's command center. Ramius awaited inside with the last few guards. The hostages were freed and unharmed as Amann faced off with Ramius with the last 4 guards.

"So it has come to this Ramius. You will not listen to reason, and you will not surrender. Therefore, you must die or be captured. Your choice Ramius. Either come quietly or die."

Ramius suddenly sneered. Amann noticed something strange about Ramius as Ramius' eyes turned totally black. Ramius spoke and his voice seemed to be echoed by thousands of voices.

"Well, you have come at last, Amann! I have been waiting a long time for this. It was so hard to get you to myself all alone. You have many friends protecting you, and even I could not take you on with all of them around."

Amann looked confused for a moment then smiled coldly.

"Ramius could not take me on, and he knows it. It would be suicide. Therefore I assume you are not Ramius. You are an entity, perhaps an Ascended like myself. No one else has that power. So why get me all alone? You would have to be powerful indeed to be able to take me on. What is it you hope to accomplish here?"

Ramius's body chuckled.

"While I am a form of energy lifeform, I am nothing like you. I have found something that allowed me to step beyond the ascension. All I want is you to die and the Alesian Empire to crumble. Pity your lackey Janilius did his work well. I could have had my servants take control of your pathetic empire had he not resisted me. Do not worry, he will fall to me as certainly as you will."

Amann smirked

"You are forgetting one thing. I do have my friends on hand here. Since you cannot handle all of us or the entire race of Alesians or Drow, you are weaker than you appear. Can you stop me now should I decide to call upon my entire civilization's power? The collective power of all Alesians focused onto the apex that will be me? I think not."

Amann paused for breath.

"So tell me why you want me dead. I do not know who you are nor what you are. Are you an Ancient? Another Alesian? An Ori? Or Anubis in one of his games? The truth will server you far more here than a lie."

Ramius's body laughed aloud.

"Your pitiful soldiers can do nothing. I do not even consider them to be any threat. Gather all the powers of your empire's people, and I wouldn't even blink. Only the Ascended Ancients or some of your more powerful friends like the Drow Queen or Chi... or others... Alone, you are nothing to me!"

Ramius' body seemed to expand and then turned to ashes, and a dark malevolent entity filled the room, creating a void of all life. It was truly awesome and terrible power.

Amann smiled even wider

"Ah, so you DO fear the Drow Queen and Chiyou. Even better. I only point out the obvious, and you give me information. Such good cooperation is desired. It also points out that you are impatient and give away information easily. Such an act will point to you being weaker than you truly are. You are powerful, but wisdom you possess not. The Drow Queen and Taelira are very close to the capital city. Chiyou orbits the planet in his ship. It won't be long till they all arrive. I know you can sense the power coming closer, so there is no purpose in concealing their arrival in a few moments. My soldiers can do nothing to you, I can however. I very much doubt you could kill me faster than they can get here. You can keep talking and live longer, or face me in battle now and perish eventually. "

Amann smiled cruelly as his form shifted into the blowing blue nimbus. The air crackled as the matter around them was supercharged.

"Your choice. Defend yourself if you can. "

The dark being growled, and his darkness seemed to suck in all light, including the energy emitted by Amann.

"Fool! You fail to grasp the very nature of who I am!"

Then the dark being shook the very law of physics and all the dimensions and reality of the space within the room. From the darkness, black tentacles stretched forth, one for each strand of blue light Amann possessed. The dark being seemed to counteract the very nature of Ascended beings. Then just as the black tentacles were about to touch Amann's incorporeal body, they shrank back. For a brief moment, Amann could almost feel the presence of dozens of other Ascended beings, then the presence disappeared.

Amann frowned as he felt that dark entities power. His soldiers rushed into the room as he regained physical form.

"Councilor! Are you alright?"

Amann turned slowly to face the group of white armored soldiers.

"No. None of us are."

_Near Alesian space…_

A massive fleet of thousands of Ha'taks gathered. All of the System Lords gathered their forces in one combined fleet in their newfound alliance with Anubis. Anubis chuckled as he watched the fleet. They would serve his interests well. Hre'rac walked in and bowed before his master.

"The fleet is ready, my lord."

"You have done well. Begin the attack."

All of the Ha'taks entered hyperspace and headed for Alesia. They would arrive in 3 days.


	19. Tragedies and Triumphs

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 19: Tragedies and Triumphs**

Amann walked into the High Council Chamber. Inside he found Demos waiting for him. Galadriel and Taelira would be along shortly. The men both looked at each other and saluted.

"It is good to see that you made it, Demos. I had thought that you might have been killed."

"Indeed Amann. You lost your wife and I lost my daughter. In this, we will both find out who was responsible for her murder."

"You have my word as an Alesian. Are the reports in on the casualties?"

"Yes Amann. Over 800,000 civilians are dead or missing. Another 900,000 are wounded and are being treated now. About 100,000 soldiers died to defend Alesia. We are trying to revive as many of the dead people as possible, but some are just beyond our capability to repair their bodies. Some have already ascended. Still, it is a great tragedy that Alesians had to fight their brothers."

"Yes."

Amann paused.

"Who were the mysterious soldiers that were fighting our loyalist forces?"

"Unknown. As soon as they were killed, they disappeared. Like they were never really there."

"Explain."

"Their armor was left behind, but the people in them were not there. It appears that they were only mere energy shells."

"Energy shells? Some very powerful ascended can form a few copies of themselves or of other people, that is a rare skill but it is not unheard of. But the power to form an entire army of shells? This being that opposes us must be very powerful indeed. Do we know who it is?"

"No councilor. We have no idea who is responsible. Janilius is fully healed. He was in here looking for you earlier."

"Yes. I will talk with him in my office later. Right now we need to rebuild Alesia. Our cities have suffered moderate to heavy damage from the fighting. It could have been worse, but it was still very costly."

"Indeed. Any word from our missing forces?"

"No. The ships that left here have been joined by several other units. They have nearly half our combined fleet."

"That is a problem. Without that fleet power, we are pretty much stuck on the defensive. Our remaining fleet cannot wage an offensive campaign. We will have to hold our position and launch raids into enemy territory, taking no planets. To keep our enemy offbalance in other words."

Amann stopped as an aide ran into the room and saluted.

"What is it?"

"Councilor Amann, the border sensors have detected Goa'uld ships entering our space. They are heading here."

"How many ships?"

"Thousands sir. It appears that the System Lords have betrayed the alliance and allied themselves with Anubis."

Amann spoke suddenly angered.

"Those treacherous scum! We will show them the penalty of betraying Alesia! Very well, you may return to your post. Dismissed."

The aide left and Amann turned back to Demos.

"The news just gets better and better, does it not?"

"Oh most certainly. What else can go wrong that hasn't already?"

Amann shrugged and left to go to his office. He had Janilius summoned to his office as he sat down. A few moments later a beep was heard on the panel outside. He called out.

"Enter!"

The door opened as Janilius entered the room.

"I am here as you have asked, Amann."

"Ahhh, Janilius I see they found you. Good good. There is something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is that you want of me, High Counciller? Should I rejoin the fleet, as I have served you during our diplomatic campaigns with potential member worlds?"

"I have something different in mind for you this time, High Councilor Janilius. These are dark times ahead for Alesia. What we need more than ever is courageous leadership. Leaders who are not afraid to face the night. For too long we have had leaders who were unwilling to step up and face reality. You showed courage when you opposed Kelus and Ramius. I can think of no one better to take the vacant seat that my wife once held. Do you accept?"

"High Councillor? Though I had taken that honor during the recent upheaval, I would never dare!"

Amann spoke impatiently.

"This is not a time for modesty, Janilius. Alesia needs you, the Empire needs you. You will be the example that gives hope to the people, that there is a new champion to stand against our enemies. You will lead well in the following days to come. Come. Take your place on the council where you are most needed. It is your calling."

"But... But... I understand why you need me to do this... but I was too foolish to see the treacheries and trickeries of Kelus and Ramius. I still feel responsible."

Janilius spoke with anguish on his face. Amann saw this and spoke after a moment's pause.

"You could not see. None of us could have foreseen such treachery. Who would have thought it? But when the time came, you opposed them at great personal risk. Not many leaders can say the same. It is not a matter of seeing possibilities, but of the actions you take when it does become apparent. We are not omnipotent, we are only men. It is how we react to events that determine our leadership capabilities"

"But I could have stopped them. I should have ordered the army to move in and remove them or something! I... I allowed this... civil war to happen!!! I just can't live with myself... but as you have said... we need leadership... to get through this... I will repent by helping you restore the Empire."

"They controlled vast amounts of forces. Trying to arrest them would have caused an even greater civil war that could have spread to every world. At least it was contained here when I returned. It was not the choice I would have liked, to see their supporters flee with half our fleet, but at least only our homeworld was damaged and not the Empire as a whole. This is why you are important. You are a beacon of hope for our people and we will need all the help we can get. The Council will convene in an hour to discuss the current crisis. I would like you to join us, High Councilor."

"Thank you, Amann. It will be…difficult. But I will serve to the best of my ability."

Janilius turned away but hesitated and turned back around.

"Amann, Can I ask a question?"

Amann looked up from the pad he was looking at.

"Go ahead."

"Who is this parasite that you have brought with you? The Drow I can understand, but a Goa'uld?"

"The Goa'uld is not what he appears, Janilius. He has the same goal of bringing down the Goa'uld Empire as we do. He believes that the symbiotes should only take willing hosts, much as the Tok'ra do. I know you are concerned, but for now, he is with us. The Terrans are also here to aid us as well. I am thinking we give them several upgrades to their ship. It will be distracting to our enemies."

"Give them technologies? Are you out of your mind, Amann? We tolerate the Drow because they have earned our trust over thousands of years, but these Terrans are... primitive brutes! As for the Goa'uld, you know better then to trust a Goa'uld no matter what it says."

"I appreciate your opinion Janilius. Some of what you say is valid and I will consider it. But I have no reason to distrust the Drow or the Terrans. As for ChiYou, well I do believe he believes what he says. But I will watch him."

"You better Amann. This can be disastrous if our allies turn on you at a crucial point."

"Which is why I will be vigilant, rest assured. Thank you for the concerns. They are noted. I will join you in the Council Chamber in one hour. I have some more work to do here. ChiYou should be outside by now. He wishes to speak with me."

Janilius nodded and left. Amann chewed over the thought that maybe his allies might not be as reliable as he might think. So many things had gone wrong for him lately. He shrugged it off and returned to his work.

--

Janilius walked outside the office and saw the proud Goa'uld warrior standing outside in his proud armor. He walked up to him and jerked his head toward Amann's office.

"Amann wishes to see you now. He was rather busy."

Chiyou looked at the man.

"Yes, I imagine so."

"For my part, welcome to Alesia."

Janilius gave a solid pat on the shoulder in friendship. What ChiYou did not realize is that Janilius pricked him with a small needle. It was all Janilius needed. In a frozen instant of time, Janilius spoke in his mind, though ChiYou only heard a small voice in the back of his head

"You know that the Protoss technology is dangerous. The Alesians might use it against you. The technology might also make it easier for them to conquer the whole galaxy, turning on the Tok'ra and Earth when their usefulness is past. Be careful."

Janilius smiled inside. Everything has gone to plan so far. He walked to the Council Chamber to await the arrival of Amann. ChiYou walked into Amann's office.

"It is good to speak to you again, ChiYou. Please sit."

Amann gestured for ChiYou to sit down.

"Let's get down to business. Anubis has some Protoss technology that our ships are having trouble defeating. We could use your aid in modifying our shields to defend better against your ships."

"Maybe, but I am…reluctant in sharing that technology. I would like to get to know your people better. Misuse of that technology would be drastic."

Amann frowned.

"We are an advanced species. We have many such weapons at our disposal. Adding one more to our arsenal is not going to change anything but make our ships resistant to a Protoss weapon."

"I see the logic. In the face of our enemies, I do not have much of a choice. Very well, I will be working with your scientists to make the ships more resistant."

"You have two days. Anubis is coming here. He is avoiding all of our other planets, and attacking Alesia directly."

"I will ready the Garuda. It has a refined Protoss cannon and numerous other weapons that will be useful."

"Good. If you require any assistance, contact the High Command. They have been instructed to aid you by any means possible."

ChiYou nodded and left. Amann glanced around and opened a channel.

"Prepare Alesian fleet for battle. We will meet them over our homeworld."


	20. May We Live To See The Dawn!

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 20: "May We Live To See The Dawn!"**

Ba'al looked over the massive Goa'uld fleet. He knew there were nearly 20,000 Ha'taks in the fleet, most of the combined Goa'uld Empire was mobilized against the Alesians. He turned back to the System Lords that were hailing his ship.

"I will speak with Anubis, after all, he is the most powerful among us. I am sure he will have something say regarding our attack on the Alesian homeworld."

Yu spoke up.

"Is it truly wise to align ourselves to Anubis? The Alesians are powerful. Perhaps too powerful. If our fleet is destroyed, we will face serious challenges from others in the galaxy. We are being hated by many."

Bastet answered in reply.

"The Tok'ra will certainly take advantage of that."

Morrigan interjected.

"Not to mention the Tauri. They have become formidable under the protection of the Asgard."

Yu raised his hand for silence. The others spoke.

"I concur. May be we should use diplomacy. It had worked with the Asgard."

Several System Lords nodded. Ba'al visibly flinched.

"The Alesians are a much greater threat than Anubis. Once we deal with the Alesians, we can concentrate on Anubis ourselves. Our overwhelming might will take him down. Then we can share the Alesian technology as well as that of Anubis amongst ourselves."

Camulus answered.

"If our fleet is crippled, then Anubis may quickly overwhelm us. For some reason, he has been able to produce ships much faster than we can. Even now we exert as much resource as possible to construct Ha'taks and other ships."

Okulun, previously silent, spoke.

"I agree. I have been returning mothballed ships back into service. I am sure others are doing that as well."

The System Lords look uncomfortable but nodded. Ba'al smiled charmingly.

"Anubis's fleet will be taking the brunt of the fighting. The Alesians are almost sure to concentrate on his fleet since it is a much greater threat. Our own ships can't even damage their warships without their shields being taken down. Anubis can be defeated by the Alesians with most of his fleet destroyed. But the Alesians will either be destroyed or suffer so much damage they will be unable to control their empire. We can then move in and eliminate the Alesians if they are weak enough, or we can destroy anubis and use his technologies. Then turn back on the weakened Alesians and finish them that way."

Kali nodded.

"There are merits in your words, Ba'al, but what you speak of involves chances. We would like your assurance that Anubis's fleet will take the brunt of the attacks."

The others agree as Ba'al looks uncomfortable.

"There are always chances in war, but this is our best chance to be rid of both enemies at once. I can speak with Anubis and see to it that he gets the Alesian's attention. You see, he has a new weapon that is going to wipe out most of the Alesian homeworld with a single substained blast. Also, the Alesians have been weakened by civil war, so my spy has said."

The other System Lords looked shock. Yu spoke angrily.

"Spies in the Aleisan Empire? Why have you not told us of this? The System Lords should have been informed about a common threat. That is the oldest, most honored and never broken law!"

Camulus spoke.

"Yes, why has this information come to us at this time? And to know that Anubis has more new weapons! If Anubis has such weapon, it could be dangerous for us."

Yu narrowed his eyes.

"I have no knowledge of any power source that could power a weapon capable of destroying a planet in a single blast. Unless... he has the Eyes"

The other System Lords turned their heads in fear. Ba'al raised his hands to calm down the others.

"I only learned of this new weapon a day ago when I joined with the main fleet of Anubis. It will most likely be destroyed with the initial assault on the Alesian homeworld. And the spy I have gained only recently. I was going to share the source with you, but I did not want the Alesians to catch on with their own spies, I am told the Alesian intelligence network is most formidable. They would have most likely caught on to my source and he was too valuable to compromise."

Kali nods.

"That is understandable. However, you must find out if Anubis has all the Eyes or whether it is just one of the eyes Anubis has."

Aries agrees.

"Osiris serves Anubis. She must know where he had hidden the Eye of Osiris."

Ba'al spoke.

"I will make an effort to find out about the eyes if possible. They are very powerful indeed and if he has all of them mixed with a new weapon, this is indeed of grave concern. But the Alesians can wipe out planets with their normal warships. We have seen the power of their antimatter weapons. About the Alesian spies, I am ashamed to admit it, but I am told my own lotar was a spy that overheard our last meeting."

Okulun sneers.

"Your own Lotar? Ha, laughable. And you call yourself a System Lord? Find out if Anubis has the eyes, and if he does, you must strike him down when he is vulnerable."

Ba'al smirked.

"Your first prime was an Alesian giving fleet information to his leaders. Your entire fleet movement was constantly monitored."

Okulun made to retort back before Yu roared.

"Enough! We have more serious problems to deal with."

The others fell silent before the System Lord. Yu spoke again.

"Are the rest of us agreed that if Anubis indeed has the Eyes, even only one, we destroy him when he is most vulnerable. We cannot allow him to have such a power source."

Camulus nodded in agreement.

"We should also endevour to find where the rest of the Eyes are... The Eye of Ra is lost, hidden on one of his worlds."

Ba'al smiled.

"Agreed. But the Alesians first, then Anubis. Then WE will rule the entire galaxy undisputed, with the Alesians as slaves and their technology and power ours for the taking."

Ares spoke.

"Agreed."

The other System Lords nodded as they all broke transmission.

--

Amann sat with the High Council as ChiYou entered the small chamber. Amann looked down and began to speak.

"I asked you to come here ChiYou. You mentioned that you had an idea on how to stop the attack?"

"Yes. I had an idea. The key to defeating Anubis is to make the rest of the System Lords withdraw their support. I was once among them and I know how they think. They will eliminate the greatest threat they see. My plan involves a few Alesian ships being sacrificed."

Amann looked down and glared.

"You realize that we need all the ships we can get? And if your plan fails?"

"A few ships will not make the difference, Councilor. I suggest sending a small squadron of ships. They will be destroyed of course, but the idea is that the System Lords will see how easily Anubis can destroy Alesian ships and they will turn on him, giving us valuable time to build up and destroy them all."

Janilius spoke.

"I like the plan, however, I recommend sending only skeleton crews just in case it does fail."

Amann looked around the council chamber and nodded.

"Agreed. But this better work, for I will not sacrifice soldiers and ships in vain."

ChiYou nodded.

"It should, considering their mentalities."

Amann nodded and gave the order. A squadron of 5 ships jumped into hyperspace toward the approaching enemy fleet. 3 Aurora class warships and 2 cruisers, using their superior hyperdrives, got to the enemy fleet within a half hour of departure. The ships launched their drones and beam weapons, but were quickly dispatched by the Goa'uld fleet. Ba'al looked over at Anubis and raised an eyebrow. Anubis chuckled.

"This was merely a scouting party designed to test our capabilities. The Alesians are intelligent, but it will not save them. Continue the attack."

"Shall I inform the System Lords of the raid?"

"No. They would turn on me if they knew how easily I destroyed this scout fleet. They would consider me a much greater threat, therefore I cannot allow that. Go."

Ba'al walked out of the room to rejoin his flagship as the fleet got nearer Alesia.

_Back on Alesia…_

Amann and Chiyou witnessed the reports as they came into the Alesian High Command building. Amann bit his lip and shook his head.

"A waste of ships. I would say that was a failure, Chiyou."

Chiyou frowned.

"This is most unlike the System Lords. Why would they not turn on Anubis after we demonstrated that he is the greater threat?"

"Well so much for Plan A. Now it is time to ready the defenses. Activate the Alesian defense grid."

Chiyou watched as the screens showed cannons on the ground activate and point up toward the sky. All of the cities on Alesia raised their shields and readied their drone bays. In orbit, defense satellites with beam weapons similar to the ones that protected Atlantis turned and pointed outward, also equipped with more drones to engage smaller craft. The Alesian fleet of 1100 ships awaited the enemy as Amann readied himself by adjusting his armor and his white cloak. ChiYou did the same, making sure his redscale armor was undamaged. He turned to Amann.

"It is time for battle."

"Yes! May we live to see the dawn."

--

Amann beamed up to the _Angelan_ while ChiYou beamed to his Ha'tak the _Garuda_. Both had doubts about the other. ChiYou wondered if the reports given by the so called traitors were true. He wondered if Amann was not after all insane for not being angry with him. In his place, he would have been furious. On the Angelan, Amann wondered much the same about ChiYou. His plan failed miserably. Was ChiYou truly on his side? Was Janilius right about him being just another power hungry Goa'uld? He shrugged as it was too late to repair the damage and he opened a hail to the entire planet and the fleet.

"This is High Councilor Amann. I address you tonight as just one more soldier traveling to fight in the heavens against our sworn enemies. If we are defeated here, this will be the twilight of our civilization and the end of our empire. If we are victorious, our enemy will be cast down into the abyss and we will see a glorious new empire! We are a shining beacon of light, all alone in the night. It is the second age of our race and we are the strongest, the best, the bravest military force the universe has ever seen! We are Alesians! Remember that when you slay our enemies on our doorstep! Not one step back! The enemy is at the gate of our mother planet. This is our home! This day, we fight!"

Amann raised a white armored fist into the air as the Alesians cheered. They began to shout.

"For Alesia! Death to the enemy!"

Amann smiled slightly as he sat down in his chair. He knew it would take more than speeches to win this battle.

_To be continued…_


	21. Clash of Light and Dark

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 21: Clash of Light and Dark**

Amann stood on the bridge of the Angelan as all of the might of the Empire was gathered over the homeworld. He had many doubts about the outcome of the battle or their ability to win it, but that was a concern to be brushed aside, for what mattered was doing with what he had. He opened a channel to General Ayen on the _AES Galadriel_.

"General, I am concerned about our lines. They are spread rather thin in the center."

"Yes Councilor. The idea is that the center is reinforced by all of the defense platforms and weapons from the surface. The fleets on our flanks will see to it that we are not flanked and to open up possibilities of flanking them ourselves."

"I see. That is a sound strategy and it will give us a chance to seize the initiative. Plus we can also do a pincer move to trap the enemy fleets in the crossfire. But we face a much more numerically superior force. We will need to be careful."

"Yes Councilor. Is there anything else?"

"No. Good luck. For Alesia."

"For Alesia!"

Amann smiled as the transmission was cut. He turned as an alert was broadcast.

"Sir, the Goa'uld fleet has exited hyperspace. They are within weapons range."

"Put me on a channel with the rest of the fleet."

Amann sat down on his command chair as a broadcast was sent.

"This is High Councilor Amann, the enemy is on our doorstep. For Alesia. Engage! Fire at will! Launch all fighters and target the upgraded ships. The ordinary ha'taks cannot harm our ships. Task the defense grid with taking those ships out, have the fleet attack the upgraded ships."

"Yes sir."

The defense satellites, with its cylindrical shape, turned and began to fire bright blue beams of energy at the Goa'uld Ha'taks.. Cannon fire from the surface rained upward and joined in with the drone swarms and beam weapons in an awesome display of firepower. Hundreds of normal Ha'taks died within a few minutes as the Alesian fleet moved on the attack, crushing the Goa'uld fleet in a pincer movement. The Ha'taks and the long Alesian battleships clashed and intermingled. Fighters roared between the massive warships firing at each other with their many weapons.

Commander Aylen led her wing of fighters into the enemy fleet, attacking Al'kesh bombers and Death Gliders. She smiled in triumph as she walked her pulse cannons and destroyed the bridge of an Al'kesh.

"Commander! 4 Death gliders behind you! 5 o'clock low!"

"Understood."

Alyen swung her fighter up and then did a corkscrew maneuver that left her fighter facing the gliders directly. The gliders fired their orange plasma bolts, which streaked and hit her shield in a blaze of blue light. She triggered off 6 drones. The drones glowed yellow as they activated and they homed in on their targets. The gliders flipped up to avoid the drones, but it was too late. 4 bright flashes indicated her drones have struck home. Her cockpit flashed frequently as more ships died. She watched as a Ha'tak got hit by 2 Alesian beam weapons. The orange shield held a moment before failing, causing the ship to explode as debris flew everywhere. An alert flashed on her console before she realized she was being targeted by an Al'kesh. She turned her fighter to meet the bomber head on. The lower turret of the Al'kesh locked on and fired at her shield. She grinned suddenly as she screamed into her headset.

"Come on you Jaffa bastards! Take your best shot!"

The Al'kesh's engines screamed as the distance to the Alesian fighter closed rapidly. Aylen held her fire until the Al'kesh in point blank range, then fired right into the cockpit of the bomber. The Al'kesh narrowly missed her fighter, passing within no more than a few meters overhead.

"Commander, that Ha'tak ahead has lost its shields. We can take it out."

"I see it, form up on me. 3rd and 4th squadrons, attack the engines. The rest of the wing attack the bridge. We don't stop until that ship is destroyed."

"For Alesia!"

The wing of 30 fighters formed up in a delta wedge formation. The Ha'tak fired its smaller cannons at the fighters, hoping to score hits into the formation. The formation split into half and started to attack the ship with blue, prolonged bursts from pulse cannons. The Ha'tak sat dead in space unable to move with its engines destroyed. Fire raged on the lower decks of the pyramid ship. Alyen's fighter raced across the outer infrastructure as she spotted the bridge. A fighter on her right dropped out of formation as an orange plasma bolt hit the engines. It fell and hit the hull of the mighty Goa'uld ship, exploding on top of the turret that took it down. She gritted her teeth as 4 drones were locked onto the bridge.

"See you in death!"

She triggered her drones and the bridge was instantly destroyed, a gaping hole in the top of the pyramid. The Jaffa that survived the explosion were instantly sucked out into space, most of the ship itself being left to vacuum.

"Commander, we have another wing of Al'kesh closing on the Starfire. They request fighter cover."

"Understood. We are on the way."

The surviving Alesian fighters swung around and went to help out one of their ships.

--

On board his Ha'tak, Chiyou was swearing in Goa'uld as several dozen Ha'taks targeted him. He hit a red glowing panel in the darkness of the bridge. His Protoss cannons were activated and they began to fire off massive bursts of blue bolts. His weapons were far more powerful and refined than anything Anubis had managed to do. His handsome Korean features twisted in a grim smile as several of the Ha'taks fell.

"Take that, scum! Die for your false gods. Your gods are perverted and evil. Those who serve them are evil and so you shall die!"

His Ha'tak weaved among the enemy ship, destroying many more Ha'taks as many Alesian ships trailed behind, exploiting the gap his Ha'tak made in the lines of the enemy.

--

On board the Ha'nutak, Anubis watched the battle under his black cloak. Even his face was entirely covered since no one has seen his face due to his ascension. Hre'rac walked in and bowed.

"Speak"

"My Lord, the Alesians are resisting greatly. Already they have destroyed three thousand Ha'taks with only a few dozen of their ships destroyed. The ordinary Ha'taks are no match for the enemy."

Anubis chuckled.

"It is not their fleet I was wanting to destroy. Prepare the planet killer."

"It will take several minutes to charge, my Lord. The combination of using all of the Eye's together will result in a delay as it is fed into the weapon. It was ingenious to use a combination of the main protoss and Alesian beam weapons as your weapon, my lord."

"Indeed, this is my most powerful weapon yet. Charge it now."

Hre'rac left with a bow. Anubis laughed as he knew this world was going to die soon.

--

Amann was on the Angelan as it was beset by several Ha'taks. The 5 mile long ship was downing dozens of Ha'taks with its formidable array of weapons. The ion cannons, once useless against the shields of a Ha'tak, were modifid to fire at different frequencies. They did more damage as blue bolts of ionized energy impacted, killing another 5 Ha'taks. Amann frowned as a Legionnaire looked up.

"Sir we have several dozen Death gliders attacking."

"All laser batteries commence fire."

The Legionnaire hit several crystals on his control panel and reported.

"All laser turrets manned and operational."

The laser turrets fired rapid bursts of blue energy similar to the pulse cannons on the fighters, but with even deadlier results. The attacking death gliders were incinerated from the attack. Several lost control of their craft trying to evade the fire and ended up crashing into the shield, which flared blue as the death gliders hit it. Amann turned and sat back in his control chair. He frowned.

"What is the enemy flagship doing? It is just sitting behind the lines."

The Legionnaire directed sensors and looked up in horror.

"Sir, there is a massive buildup of energy on that ship. Its preparing to fire its massive weapon."

"What sort of weapon is it?"

"It is a combination of Alesian and Protoss technology. The weapon is trained on the planet. The energy building up, it could wipe out half of the planet below."

"We have to stop it then. Helm, set course for the mothership of Anubis. We will have to break past their lines."

The Angelan lurched forward as its 4 sublight engines roared at full power. The weapons continued to fire as the ZPM's were put into their proper slots. The added energy boosted power to fire the beam weapons. Lances of blue light streaked out. The upgraded Ha'taks were able to absorb several shots from the weapon, but they fell one by one. Their shots hit the shield of the Angelan as they died, firing until the last. The console behind Amann exploded and the Legionnaire manning it fell.

"Sheilds are down! Weapons fire impacting on all sides!"

"Continue firing. Advance to the enemy flagship!"

"I don't know how much more she can take!"

Amann stood up and advanced toward the commander. He roared in anger.

"Continue firing!"

The Commander nodded and turned back to his station, raising his hand from the glare of the fire raging from the console near him.

The Angelan advanced forward alone, firing all of its weapons. The once shiny hull raged with fire as the plasma shots of the ordinary Ha'taks rained down on the armor. Fires were rampant throughout the ship, but they were contained. Amann felt the ship shuddering underneath the pounding she was receiving. NABIS appeared next to him.

"Armor integrity down to 60%. We cannot hold out for long."

"We only need to get within range of Anubis's mothership. We have to destroy that weapon or die in the attempt! Have a few dozen ships follow our breach in their lines."

"Orders are sent."

"Very well."

The Angelan broke through the main Ha'tak line, Anubis's ship turned toward the Angelan and fired multiple beam weapons. Amann winced as more consoles exploded as the ship was severely damaged. Debris rained down from parts of the ceiling as the ship was shaken by internal explosions. A legionnaire looked at one of the remaining consoles.

"Weapons are down, we can't fire."

He looked back at the console.

"Their planet killing weapon is coming online. Ready to fire."

"Target?"

"The main capital city. It will wipe out a third of our population based on my estimate. Councilor, we can't stop it."

Amann sat down shaken. He thought for a moment then looked at the Legionnaire. Their eyes met for a moment as the legionnaire realized what he was thinking. Amann nodded.

"All power to sublight engines. Give me full ramming speed. Set antimatter reactors to overload. If we go, we are taking that ship with us and save Alesia in the process."

"Yes sir."

Amann stared out at the enemy ship as it grew bigger and bigger in the window. He took out the small holocube of his wife and whispered.

"Soon we will be joined again, dear Lucia."

The Alesian destroyer bore down on the flagship, racing at near light speed. The Legionnaires were screaming out in defiance. One of the soldiers noticed a blinking light on his panel and turned toward Amann.

"Sir, multiple hyperspace windows opening! Right on top of us!"

Amann looked at the soldier.

"Identify!"

"They are our ships. But sir, they are the rebels!"

"What?"

"They are hailing us!"

"Onscreen!"

The screen flashed as Commander Cestus appeared on the screen.

"Councilor Amann, abort your suicide run. We have monitored the situation and have come to defend our home."

"Understood! Abort overload. Get us clear of Anubis's flagship!"

The Angelan roared past the flagship, coming within 2 kilometers of the ship. The 800 rebel ships fired every weapon they had into the ship. The Asgard shielding failed in a blue flash, causing the ship to explode with massive destructive energy. Before it did, a small ship exited the hold of the planet killer. Anubis sat silent next to Ba'al and Hre'rac as they entered hyperspace back to the Goa'uld Empire. He turned toward the two and finally spoke.

"We have failed here, but we have hurt the Alesians badly enough. They will not be able to launch an offensive for some time. I suggest you prepare defenses just in case."

Ba'al nodded.

"Your advice is sound, Lord Anubis."

"We will be able to attack the Tauri without interference. The Asgard are not able to enforce the Protected Planets treaty now and the Alesians are too damaged to help. Sunaj has assumed us of that. He also said that the Tauri will mistrust the Alesians if they do not come to help. This will fracture their alliance."

"A smart plan. I trust this is what we will do now"

"Yes."

--

Amann sat exhausted in his chair, watching the battle as his flagship limped back to Alesia for repairs. Most of the fleet was still fighting, but the Ha'taks were beginning to retreat. The victory was not without cost though. A few moments later, e raised one of the rebel Generals.

"What is the news from the battle?"

"The last of the surviving Ha'taks are starting to jump out. The system is clear."

Amann smiled in relief.

"That is good."

"Sorry for the delay in getting here, but we were on the fringes of the Empire. Kelus was giving us trouble. We had him executed for treason. "

"I see. Well, you have my gratitude. You saved Alesia."

"No need to thank us, High Councilor. We are just doing our jobs."

"Though you will have to face a disciplinary board to determine if any punishment should be given, I think you will be let off. Still, despite that, welcome home."

The General smiled as Amann sighed finally in exhaustion. He looked up at the wrecked ceiling and breathed out. It was a long battle, but despite the Alesians having suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties and several hundred of their ships lost or damaged, it was an undeniable victory. Already repairs were underway in the orbital and surface dockyards for the damaged ships. Pods were being picked up from the various damaged fighters and warships that were destroyed. The cities on the planet narrowly escaped harm, having been protected by powerful city shields. The wounded were in the hospitals being healed. Amann beamed down to the council chamber and looked at his fellow council members.

"Our losses were heavy, but we repelled the assault."

Janilius spoke.

"Indeed, we have read the report. About 1/3rd of our fleet is either destroyed or damaged, but most of the Ha'tak fleet did not escape. The Goa'uld are severely weakened by their failed attack. It will be some time before they can ever launch an assault of this magnitude again."

"Yes, Councilor Janilius. We must repair and rebuild our forces. The rebels have surrendered to our forces and wish to rejoin. I am going to allow them to do that without much in the way of discipline. It is enough that they have recognized the error of their ways. Their generals have stated they wanted to hear what I had to say. They brought the body of Kelus as proof of their loyalty. I will see it and then welcome them back. In the meantime, I will be in my quarters resting. Contact me if anything new develops."

Amann nodded and left the room. The other councilors filed out. Taelira looked toward Amann's retreating back. She was concerned about him. He could use the company right about now, in the wake of his wife's death and in the exhaustion that came with the civil war and the recent battle.

--

Janilius walked away from the meeting stately, but as soon as everyone was out of sight, his pace became much faster. He entered the dark room where the essence of Janus awaited him. Janilius smirked.

"The plan is going well. Kelus was executed as his usefulness was outlasted."

Janus chuckled.

"Yes, the doubts are festering within the alliance. ChiYou and Amann already share a mutual distrust, though none of them has stated it aloud. That will soon change as conflicts become more apparent between their interests. Anubis will attack Earth, but it will fail. The Tauri will notice the Alesians did not come to their aid when the Tauri came to their aid. This will also do much to sever that alliance as well. The alliance between Alesia, Chiyou, and the Tauri will fall. Amann will suffer greatly before he dies."

Janilius smiled in anticipation.

"Oh yes, yes he will. He should be the last survivor of his race, just to see all the ones he cares about suffer and die. He should witness his world and his race perish before we give him mercy from all of his anguish."

Janilius left the room as the darkness of Janus fed upon the malice. Janus delighted in the torture of his enemies before they were killed. It was more satisfying this way. All was going according to his plan.


	22. Rising From The Trenches

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 22: Rising From the Trenches**

Amann sat down in his chair inside his fortress tower home in the capital city. He had made himself a drink and was sitting inside facing the open balcony. The thin white drapes blew inward as the fierce wind blew across Alesia. It felt good to experience that cold fresh mountain air. The Alesian sun was setting as it began to lower itself beneath the horizon. A voice behind him spoke.

"What are you thinking Amann?"

The figure of Taelira walked forward and sat down in the chair next to him. Amann glanced at her and then spoke.

"Just normal stuff. For once, I am at a loss on how exactly to proceed with the war. Do we rebuild first, then attack? Or do we attack now while they are weakened? A mistake here could be fatal, even for us."

"Indeed. I know this is the most difficult time we as a people have ever experienced. Dark times lay ahead. What we have to remember is that what we do is what we think is right. I have faith in your ability to lead our empire to a glorious future."

"Thank you, is there anything else?"

"Might I stay with you a while? I know you could use the company."

Amann sighed and looked up at her.

"If you want to."

Taelira smiled.

_Elsewhere in the galaxy…_

Lord Yu stood in the council chambers of the System Lord space station with all of the gathered System Lords. He was speaking in a furious rage.

"Well that was a massive failure. We lost much of our fleet in that invasion. The Alesians crushed us and know by now that Anubis tried to wipe out their homeworld. By definition, that includes us as well. I would expect a swift response from them against us and soon."

Camulus interjected.

"We have to approach the Alesians and offer them peace terms. Anubis is in a greater position of power now that much of our fleet is decimated. But they will probably not speak to us. They would kill us if we approached them now."

Bastet spoke.

"Why don't we approach them via a trusted ally of theirs? What of the Tauri? We could send a representative to Earth and ask them to speak to the Alesians on our behalf. We have to convince the Tauri and Alesians that it was a mistake on our part. We must say that Ba'al and Anubis tricked us into launching an invasion."

Bastet glared at Ba'al. Ba'al, strangely enough, seemed unconcerned with the hostility of the System Lords. He knew deep down that he lost a lot of prestige in advocating the invasion, but he was confident in the technologies being incorporated into his fleet. It would be good enough to hold out against any attacks within the Goa'uld domain. Assuming, of course, that the Alesians wouldn't pound his kingdom into dust. He remained silent and gave Bastet a charming smile. Yu thought a moment.

"Agreed Lady Bastet. But who of us will go?"

Okulun spoke.

"Why not yourself, Lord Yu? You out of all of us have the least hostile relationship with the Tauri. You have negotiated the Protected Planets treaty with them in the past. You know them best."

Yu thought a moment.

"I will go to Earth then and ask them to speak to the Alesians on our behalf. I cannot guarantee the Alesians will listen though. I am sure they are furious. If the talks fail, we have to remain allied with Anubis. He is the most able to fight them. But I believe Anubis to be the greater threat. The Alesians we can deal peacefully with if need be. But our position is not good at this time. We need to buy time. If we can defeat Anubis with his technologies, we can get them and then resist the Alesians and eventually defeat them. Then no one will question the power of the Goa'uld."

The System Lords all agreed.

_On Earth…_

General Hammond and SG-1 were in a mission briefing when the alarm went off. Walter's voice echoed on the PA.

"Unscheduled Offworld Activation!"

General Hammond ran down to the control room with SG-1 following close behind. The iris that protected the stargate was closed, but a message was being transmitted. Daniel Jackson bent over and started reading. Hammond looked at Daniel.

"What is it, doctor?"

"It is a message in Goa'uld. The System Lords are sending a message. They wish to meet with us. It says Lord Yu is arriving by ship within the day to discuss peace terms."

Daniel exchanged looks with everyone. This was going to be an interesting meeting.

--

Oshu, the First Prime of Lord Yu, the oldest and most influential System Lord, bowed before his master as the ancient Goa'uld stepped out of his sarcophagus.

"My lord, we have arrive in the Tauri solar system. The message must have been delivered correctly. 2 Asgard ships are in orbit. They are targeting us but have not powered up their weapons."

Yu nodded.

"Good. Prepare the cargo ship."

"Yes, my lord."

--

O'Neill walked to the conference room where Sergeant Walter was talking with General Hammond. The rest of his team was already there, as was Sel'mak of the Tok'ra. Hammond spoke.

"Continue Sergeant."

"General, Peterson Airforce Base reports that the cargoship has landed and the guests are being escorted to SGC. The ETA is in 10 mins. NORAD and the Asgard ships are tracking the Goa'uld Ha'tak. The weapons are powered down and inactive. It is just sitting there."

"Thank you, Sergeant. Continue to monitor the Goa'uld ship and report if there is any change."

O'Neill whistled.

"Why don't we ask the Asgard to blow it to bits or remove the Jaffa so we can take over?"

Teal'c answered.

"That would be most unwise, O'Neill. Lord Yu has been the least hostile to Earth."

"I know, T. I was just joking."

Daniel spoke up.

"So why are the System Lords coming here? Surely this is not for our benefit."

Sel'mak spoke.

"The System Lords recently suffered a massive defeat at the hands of the Alesians. They had allied themselves to Anubis in order to cripple the Alesians, but with their defeat, Anubis now has enough ships to challenge the System Lords and possibly win, since he has the technological advantages."

Then Sel'mak's head went down to let Jacob speak.

"With their fleet crippled, and their tentative alliance with the Alesians now gone, the System Lords have nowhere to turn to other than the Asgard or the Earth. Since the Asgard will not interfere with internal Goa'uld matter. Only Earth remains as a possible choice to move either the Asgard or the Alesians to attack Anubis. Plus we also have intelligence that the System Lords and Anubis had constructed a superweapon designed to wipe out an entire planet. They tried to use that on the Alesian homeworld, but it was destroyed. The System Lords most likely seek our help in mediatating a peace between the Alesians and them."'

O'Neill suddenly grinned.

"I imagine the Alesians are furious over that."

Jacob allowed a small smile.

"Not only that, the System Lords suffered more damage from Anubis when he mobilised his reserve fleets to attack several System Lords. Camulus lost six motherships guarding one of his more important worlds, and Amatersu and Ares has suffered similar defeats. Only Lord Yu, Ba'al, Kali and Bastet remain unscathed, but no one knows for how long."

"We can be sure the Alesians seek vengeance for being betrayed and attacked. The System Lords know they cannot withstand the entire Alesian fleet if the Alesians decide to wipe them out. It is why they seek to get back on good terms with the Alesians as soon as possible."

Daniel spoke next.

"So why is Yu coming alone?"

Carter answered him with a clear reply of her own.

"Well, the other System Lords are now being very cautious about upsetting us, and they know that their arrogance is a point that we do not like. Lord Yu, however, has been in least conflict with us. They believe that Yu can convince us to help them out."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"It is mostly likely that Ba'al has been blamed for the defeat, since he was the representative of the System Lords recently. Now the power has shifted back to Yu."

Walter came back in.

"Sirs, the guests have arrived."

Jacob stood up.

"I should not be seen by Lord Yu. It will not be good for the negotiations."

Hammond nodded.

Jacob left quickly. After Jacob left, four Airmen escorted Lord Yu and Oshu into the conference room.

Hammond stood up and greeted them.

"Lord Yu, I am general Hammond. Welcome to SGC."

Lord Yu paused for a moment then nodded. Oshu spoke.

"My master wishes to begin the talk immediately."

Hammond gestured them to the seat across SG-1. As Lord Yu silently made his way to the indicated chair, Hammond spoke.

"So what brings you by, Lord Yu?"

After a long pause, the aged System Lord spoke.

"The System Lords wish to re-negotiate the alliance with the Alesians, but they have refused to accept our envoy. The System Lords knows that the Tauri have good relationship with the Alesians."

Daniel spoke up.

"Judging from we know about them, the Alesians do not take betrayal of an alliance lightly. They consider it dishonorable on one of the lowest levels. Getting them to accept diplomatic negotiations will be difficult at best."

Yu nodded.

"The System Lords acknowledges this, and has offered a gift to the Tauri so that this negotiations may happen... with your support."

Daniel looked surprised. The System Lords must truly be desperate to be offering concessions. Teal'c narrowed his eyes. After a moment, Daniel spoke.

"What sort of gift, Lord Yu?"

Lord Yu nodded and Oshu took out a paper with Goa'uld writings on it. He gave it to Hammond, who gave it to Daniel.

Daniel read it and looked surprised. O'Neill watched him and then inquired.

"Daniel? So what are they offering?"

"Wow... They are offering us hyperdrives... and cargoships..."

"That's it? We are gonna have to stick our neck out for them, that's all they are going to give us?"

Lord Yu narrowed his eyes.

"Do you not agree that this is already a suitable gift, Colonel O'Neill?"

"You know my name."

Yu nodded.

"Apophis and Ba'al has often cursed your name... many times."

Teal'c sneered.

"They were defeated many times. Hence the reason behind their hatred. But the gifts of what you offer is not suitable, not when you consider that the Tauri are already getting Asgard hyperdrives added onto their ships. You will have to do more to get the Tauri to agree. Surely you can see this?"

Lord Yu mused for a moment then spoke.

"Then what do you suggest would be enough incentive for you to speak to the Alesians... and the Asgard in our behalf?"

Daniel looked up from the papers he was given.

"Why not offer more substantial ships. Perhaps something like Al'kesh bombers or Ha'tak motherships?"

Lord Yu thought a moment then sighed.

"How many ships would you ask of us?"

The team looked around in surprise. The System Lords were truly desperate to offer warships to the Tauri. Daniel blinked and then made an offer.

"Maybe 2 Al'kesh per system Lord, and one Ha'tak per system Lord?"

Lord Yu paused for a moment. He was obviously calculating the numbers.

"There are currently nine System Lords... and your demands... means that the System Lords will be 9 Ha'taks and 18 Alkesh less in the war against Anubis. For such price, the System Lords will ask more of the Tauri."

Hammond narrowed his eyes.

"More? What would you ask of us?"

Yu looked at Hammond.

"We have known for a long time that the Asgard greatly cares for the Tauri. You could convince them to fight against Anubis as well. Anubis is a threat for us all, and participation of the Asgard would be greatly... beneficial in defeating Anubis. Also, if the Tauri are to have such fleet of ships, we would ask that you join the war as well."

Daniel folded his hands and looked at Yu.

"If we are also to fight, there will have to be some prize for risking our ships and manpower. We would like several planets to be under our control. Chulak, Abydos, along with a few other worlds."

Lord Yu narrowed his eyes.

"Chulak is an important Jaffa world, the main Jaffa world of Apophis, now firmly in the hand of Anubis. As for Abydos, we care not for such an empty world. Ra had extracted all he could from that desolate world. Show me the list of worlds that you demand."

At Hammond's nod, Sam and Teal'c stood up and went downstairs. Meanwhile, Lord Yu continued.

"We cannot give you the worlds under Anubis' control, and many System Lords will be reluctant to give up more important worlds... especially Ba'al, since he has taken the territories of many of your enemies."

O'Neill spoke with some amusement.

"Really? Many of our enemies?"

Yu looked at O'Neill with a glare and then softened.

"While Ba'al has claimed his defeat of Moloc, the System Lords have discovered that the Tauri weapons has killed Moloc. We also know that you have relationships with the Rebel Jaffa groups including the Hak'tyl. Ba'al would be most reluctant to give up those worlds."

Daniel replied.

"That may be the price of victory. We would like the worlds that we want under Anubis's control to be given to us after he is defeated. There is about 20 worlds that we want that are under his control. That includes Chu'lak. We would also like the worlds to be offlimits to the Goa'uld and placed under the Protected Planets Treaty."

Yu frowned.

"You cannot place them under the Protected Planets Treaty. They have been under Goa'uld influence for too long. However, I may be able to convince the System Lords of a different treaty... with the Tauri regarding those worlds."

Teal'c and Sam returned and gave copies of the list to Hammond, Daniel and Lord Yu. Lord Yu looked through them, and to SG-1's eyes he seemed pleased. He looked up and replied.

"Of these 21 worlds, 14 of them currently belong to Anubis. Of the remaining seven... 4 of them belong to Ba'al. I am quite certain that I can convince the System Lords, especially with so many worlds under Anubis will be yours upon his defeat... I can explain that you would have a great incentive in defeating Anubis."

Daniel replied.

"And we would also like to have a nonvoting seat on the System Lord Council. If we are to have planets under our protection, it would only be prudent to be a part of the System Lords, especially concerning our alliance in the war against Anubis."

Lord Yu frowned.

"No human other than our personal Lotars have ever seen or even heard of the System Lord High Council... it would be impossible for you to attend such meeting. Perhaps I could..."

Daniel interrupted.

"Why not have a Tok'ra represent our interests? They are of your race, even if their philosophies are different."

Lord Yu flashed his eyes at those words. He spoke in anger.

"You would ask us to allow a treacherous Tok'ra to attend the sacred meeting of the System Lords? We would rather have a human attend. However, it would still be nearly impossible for this absurd request."

Daniel paused for a moment and thought. He looked back up at Yu.

"Come to think of it, there is another Goa'uld we could ask to represent our interests. We have recently come to be allied with him. He is the last of his clan."

Yu seemed interested.

"Who is this Goa'uld who would ally with you and allow you to have so much trust in him to make him your representative?"

"You might know him. His name is ChiYou."

Lord Yu flashed his eyes and jumped up from his seat in obvious fury and rage, perhaps even more so than when he found that Anubis was still alive.

"You lie! ChiYou was banished forever, trapped on that forsaken world for eternity!"

Daniel raised his hands to try to calm the System Lord down.

"He apparently freed himself. And you might find this interesting. He is with the Alesians currently. He helped to fight the System Lords and Anubis when your fleets attacked Alesia. ChiYou would also be one of the few Goa'uld to sway the Alesians."

Lord Yu sat back down but his anger and rage was so obvious to everyone, and this surprised Oshu and Teal'c as Lord Yu was well known for his calm demeanor... well, more than other Goa'uld. Yu looked at Teal'c.

"Shol'va, even as a traitor, you would dare to ally yourself with the Red Devil?"

Teal'c and Oshu paled visibly, and the name of the Red Devil was remembered. Though what the Goa'ulds only mentioned rarely, this was something that Apophis would threaten Ra with. Apophis would threaten to release the Red Devil, and once, he even sent a fleet. That fleet was destroyed by the combined power of Ra, Yu and Cronus. Red Devil has caused so much fear and anger in the hearts of the Goa'uld that Jaffa obviously believed the Red Devil to be worse than Anubis or Sokar. Teal'c spoke weakly after a moment.

"I... I did not know... ChiYou is the Red Devil?"

Yu nodded.

"He is... Banished forever for his crimes."

O'Neill frowned.

"What crimes do you refer to?"

Lord Yu flashed his eyes.

"His crimes are too horrendous to mention. I will not speak of it here."

Daniel spoke calmly.

"Perhaps we should have a short recess. To calm down."

Oshu agreed.

"My master could use a few minutes."

Lord Yu nodded. Hammond cleared his throat and spoke to two Airmen.

"Escort our guests to the VIP quarters."

As soon as Lord Yu and Oshu left the conference room, they could hear Jacob/Selmak rushing up the stairs. Jacob looked horrified.

"What were you guys thinking, asking for ships and a seat in the System Lord council?"

Daniel looked at Jacob.

"It was a probe to see how much the System Lords would give. I am surprised they agreed to it all. They must truly be desperate."

Jacob's head went down and came back up. Sel'mak spoke.

"Yes, it was dangerous. Had the System Lords not been so desperate, he would have refused and rallied the System Lords to attack Earth for this 'insolence' on your part."

O'Neill smirked.

"Well, I guess it was my lucky day. I should have picked the lotto numbers today…"

Daniel and Carter looked at each other and shook their head. O'neill shrugged.

"So the snakeheads are in some deep shit."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed, unless they are in such depth of excrements, we would not even have this meeting."

The Teal'c style joke made the room silent before Sam spoke.

"So why did Yu become so angry at the mention of ChiYou? No pun intended?"

Sel'mak spoke.

"I think I can guess why. ChiYou is closely related to the Tok'ra. He was the mate of Egeria, our queen. It was his clan that first supported a peaceful coexistence between the humans and the Goa'uld. Ra and his clan did not like that at all. Outnumbered and betrayed from inside, ChiYou's clan was destroyed, and Egeria was captured by Ra."

Daniel looked surprised at this revelation.

"Betrayed from inside? What do you mean?"

"From what we know from our genetic memory, Lord Yu and Amaterasu were all part of ChiYou's clan."

O'Neill whistled in surprise.

"So Yu betrayed ChiYou?"

Sel'mak nodded.

"Yes. During the peak of their power, ChiYou's clan... more specifically, Lord Hwanin's clan was the largest and most powerful clan after Ra's clan."

Daniel seemed lost in thought.

"We should contact the Alesians and have them and Chiyou come here."

Hammond nodded and gave the order to an airman. Selmak continued his explanation.

"ChiYou's clan had several powerful Goa'ulds who were fit to be a System Lord. However, Ra did not want more political power in his rival clan's hands. Only three... Sawara, father of ChiYou, ChiYou himself, and Lord Yu. Even then, Lord Yu was old and respected. However, coveting the territories of his nephew Sawara, he made an alliance with the System Lords."

O'Neill laughed.

"Of course he did... so... Goa'uld-like, isn't it though?"

"Yes."

The airman came back in.

"Sir, the Alesians have been contacted. They have sent their reply. They will be here shortly via ship."

As they waited another 30 mins, Hammond had called and discussed the situation with the president. The president had decided to call some favors in and bring an expert negotiator. Daniel was surprised at who was being sent.

"Really?"

Hammond spoke.

"Do you know her?"

"Yes. Dr. Elizabeth Wier. She is an expert in international politics. She mediated some high-level negotiations for the UN. I actually referenced some of her work when I drafted our first treaty for the Tok'ra."

Hammond crossed his fingers.

"Well, the President will brief her ASAP and send her down here."

Carter chimed in.

"I don't think the negotiation will take that long."

Sel'mak agreed.

"We will not have the time to wait for this Dr Weir. The Goa'uld are not known for their patience."

"She will be here only as an advisory capacity. We can conclude our negotiations, but from this point on, we will advise us."

Daniel raised his pen to speak.

"The Alesians will take a while to arrive. She might get here before they do."

Hammond nodded.

"If she arrives before that, then we can advise us... but... the President has agreed to us doing the negotiation."

_On Alesia…_

Amann was in session with the Alesian High Council. He was listening as his sister Galadriel was speaking.

"I have accepted the idea of a summit between the various enemies of Anubis. This is the best course of action for our people, since we get to pit the System Lords against Anubis, which will bog down both of their forces. We can then deal with Anubis."

Amann slammed his white armored fist down in anger on the metal table. It was obvious from the loud thump and the dent in the table that the young looking councilor was furious.

"Those backstabbing bastards betrayed us! What more reason do we need to wipe their pathetic remments of an empire out?"

ChiYou, who was sitting in the council chamber as an honoured guest mused. Janilius spoke in anger too.

"I am all for turning their homeworlds into a ball of ash."

To their consternation, Galadriel was still smiling.

"We can deal with the System Lords after we crush Anubis, my dear brother. Once we finish off the main threat that is Anubis, the System Lords will be punished for their treachery."

Amann thought for a moment. He nodded in agreement.

"Very well, we will hear what the System Lords have to say. But are we agreed that after Anubis, we attack the System Lords?"

ChiYou cleared his throat rather loudly. Janilius raised his eyebrows.

"You have something to add to our discussion, Lord ChiYou? I am sure that as a former System Lord, you have something to say."

Though Amann did not notice in his rage, Janilius had managed to subtly convince the council to listen to a Goa'uld, even if he was an ally. ChiYou smiled.

"I would dare not presume to know much, but I know that the System Lords will fear the Alesians after this... Greatly fear and respect you. You will have much sway in their decision making in one way or another. I suggest you take advantage of it."

Amann nodded.

"Very well, you have swayed me in meeting with them. I will depart with Galadriel immediately to Earth. I will also ask ChiYou to come with me. I am sure you can be of use to me in negotiations."

ChiYou nodded.

"I will go with you to Earth. If nothing else, I would like to meet the Tok'ra and the Earth people in person."

Amann and Galadriel beamed up to the Angelan. After a moment, ChiYou beamed up to his own flagship. 8 Alesian ships and ChiYou's ship left orbit and headed for Earth at maximum speed.


	23. Alliance Reforged

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 23: Alliance Reforged**

Walter came upstairs to the conference room.

"Sirs, Dr. Weir has arrived."

Hammond nodded.

"Bring her in."

Everyone looked around as Dr. Elizabeth Weir walked into the conference room. She was of a medium build, with blond hair. She was very attractive and young, which more than likely helped to aid her in her negotiations within the UN. Though she would dye her hair black when she took command of the future expedition to Pegasus Galaxy, that time had not arrived yet. She walked in with her mouth wide open at the sight of the stargate in the gateroom 2 stories down.

"Wow... that's... that's the stargate?"

Hammond smiled and held out his hand.

"Yes, it is, doctor. I'm General Hammond, the commander of this facility."

"Yes, I know. It is an honour to meet you, sir."

Hammond gave a nod.

"You are briefed about this situation? Please take a seat."

"Thank you general... it's just that... this is overwhelming. When the President asked me to see him, I had no idea I was about to advise in an intergalactic negotiation. I mean, all the things he had briefed me on, it is taking some time to absorb all that."

Hammond smiled.

"It is alot to take in. We have sent for Lord Yu to attend. He will be here shortly."

Walter came back in.

"General, the Asgard report that 8 Alesian ships and a Ha'tak have exited near Earth. They said they are ready to beam...."

With a flash, Amann and Galadriel beamed down into the conference room. Amann was dressed in his customary white Alesian armor. His shoulder pads were covered in insignia and rank. The now familiar Alesian eagle was emblazoned in gold on the front of his armor, its talons extended forward. Galadriel was dressed in a simple white robe, which nevertheless reflected a position of wealth and power. With another flash,Chiyou beamed in. He was wearing red colored scale armor, a testament to his clan's skill in metallurgy.

O'neill spoke.

"You were saying?"

Walter shook his head.

"Never mind."

Then Lord Yu entered the conference room and ChiYou and Yu saw each other. Yu's eyes widened at the surprise while ChiYou's eyes filled with rage.

"YUUUUUUU! You traitor!"

O'Neill spoke with amusement.

"Wow, was that a pun from a Goa'uld?"

In ChiYou's anger, several sparks flew, and one it the railings leading to the control room. Then he relented. Amann and Galadriel smiled at the joke. Yu looked angry, but his anger seemed to lose its intensity as Amann gave him a very cold look. It plainly showcased Amann's disgust for the Goa'uld. Yu was uneasy around the Alesian. Amann spoke up first.

"Well Lord Yu. You requested this meeting. It is only fitting that you do so after we destroyed the combined forces of the Goa'uld over our homeworld. I suggest you come up with a good explanation for your treachery."

Hammond cleared his throat and gestured everyone to sit down. Lord Yu was sitting across Amann, and ChiYou next to Amann. Galadriel was sitting next to ChiYou and Daniel and Teal'c were next to Yu. Oshu was standing and O'Neill and Sam were sitting at the other end of the table.

"We initially hesitated but Ba'al had convinced the System Lords that you were a greater threat. At the time you appeared so. However, by the time it was too late, we realized that Anubis had fooled us all... by tricking that idiot Ba'al."

Daniel interjected.

"So they want to appease you, Counciller Amann, and contacted us in the hopes that the System Lords can in the good graces of the Alesians... and through us, the Asgard."

Amann laughed, but it was not one of amusement.

"So the System Lords wish to make up for stabbing us in the back do they? And to get the Asgard to side with them? You know what we do to people who stab us in the back? The Aschen tried that once with us. They promised us an alliance against the Goa'uld if we helped them take over a few important planets. We did that and the Aschen used their biological weapon on the world they contacted us on. Several million were killed, most of the population. We sent 50 battleships and destroyed one of their main worlds in retaliation with our antimatter weapons. Why should we not do that to the System Lords now?"

Yu cleared his throat. It was clear he wanted to reply in anger, but he managed to swallow his pride.

"We are here to appease, but we wish to arouse your common sense and see Anubis as the threat that he is... We must gather our strength together."

Amann looked at the System Lord coldly. To the others in the room, it looked like he was studying Yu as a specimen to be dissected.

"You want our help to deal with Anubis? Very well, but there must be.....concessions."

Yu narrowed his eyes.

"We already have made great concessions to the Tauri... what would you ask of us in return for your... cooperation?"

Amann smiled cruelly.

"We want fully 1/3rd of the territory of Anubis that he currently holds."

Yu's eyes flashed.

"Unacceptable! The System Lords will rather submit to Anubis than to accept such ridiculous demands."

Amann smiled.

"What have you offered the Tauri?"

Yu calmed down.

"21 worlds, including Chulak. The Tauri has agreed to aid in the war against Anubis for those 21 worlds... and a non-voting seat in the System Lord High Council."

Chiyou spoke for the first time.

"You allowed a non Goa'uld to hold a place on the council?"

Yu paused.

"No... the System Lords will never agree to that. The System Lords have anticipated Tauri's participation, and have agreed to concede several worlds... where Naquadah mines are. This would allow them to build ships to fight Anubis."

Oshu took out another paper and gave it to Hammond, who gave it to Daniel, who after reading it, gave to Amann. Amann read it for a moment and then returned it to Hammond. Daniel spoke.

"Five mining worlds with monthly production of minimum of 1000 shesh'tas... That is a lot."

O'Neill asked.

"How much is a shesh'ta?"

Teal'c answered.

"Shesh'ta is a common currency used among the Goa'uld. Though most of the Goa'uld economy is based on barter, they are used to measure the productivity of mines or planets."

Daniel spoke.

"That's approximately 100 grams... of Naquadah. How much would a 1000 shesh'ta would buy, Teal'c?"

"Two or three large estates that a minor goa'uld could afford... A Teltak cargoship, perhaps."

O'Neill turned to Carter.

"So... that's...?"

"About 6 tons a year in total, sir."

"So, not much."

Lord Yu flashed his eyes.

"Tauri are greedy. The worlds you ask for also contain deposits of Naquadah. Including the mining planet belonging to Ba'al.... that alone will provide you at least 3000 shesh'ta a month. I had once controlled the planet some mere 200 years ago."

Amann smiled

"Of course, the Goa'uld also utilize pathetic means to mine. I am familiar with some of mining technologies Earth uses. The mine output would be far more efficient than 6 tons."

Lord Yu nodded.

"Whatever that means, it would mean that the Tauri can provide some actual benefits in an alliance against Anubis."

Amann agreed.

"It means that to the Goa'uld, those worlds would not produce much, but to Earth, it could provide a few battleships with mining technology. We could also aid in the development if need be."

Meanwhile, the paper had gone around to Teal'c who raised an eyebrow.

"Daniel Jackson, this paper speaks of shes'nagh."

"What's that mean? I just thought it was a measurement."

"It means that the measurement of of 1000 shesh'ta per month... of weapons grade Naquadah..."

ChiYou, and even Amann raised their eyebrows in surprise. The System Lords must indeed be desperate to give up such worlds. Of course, they expected reconquer it after they destroyed and absorbed ANubis's forces, and take all the advances the Tauri would install. Amann realized this quickly and spoke.

"We will put those worlds under Alesian protection. The worlds will be run and administered by the Tauri. They will be a protectorate. That will ensure that.....others do not take advantage."

Amann gave a nod to Yu.

Yu nodded back, after all they were not his worlds. For his failures, Ba'al was the one who 'provided' four of those planets. Daniel spoke.

"What of the council seat?"

"As I have said, the System Lords will not accept anyone but a Goa'uld into the meeting."

Chiyou spoke up

"I will take the place if the Tauri would approve. I would represent their interests and that of Alesia."

Lord Yu looked at ChiYou for a moment, then reluctantly nodded.

"If it is ChiYou, despite his past crimes, the System Lords will agree. However, he will have not say in the voting."

"Yeah, okay. Lord ChiYou can represent Earth in the System Lord High Council."

Daniel looked at Hammond, who nodded. The Tok'ra seemed excited to have ChiYou back, and they supported the idea. Amann was silently suspicious. He did not like the idea of ChiYou rejoining the System Lords so quickly. He spoke up.

"One more thing."

Yu looked at the Alesian.

"Speak."

"The Alesian Empire will want several of the worlds Chiyou used to control. We want that returned to him."

Yu thought for a moment, then nodded with a smile.

"We will be glad to 'allow' you to retake those worlds. However, you must give us your words on your cooperation."

Amann nodded.

"Unlike the System Lords, we hold our part of the bargain. We demonstrated that when we were close to defeating Anubis."

Hammond spoke.

"If you would wait for a moment, we will prepare documents to confirm and for you to sign."

Lord Yu agreed.

Within minutes, Walter, who were listening to everything downstairs, and typing very fast, came up with four copies of the 1 page alliance treaty.

Hammond signed and dated them, and gave them to Yu. Oshu took our a golden seal with a dragon on it. Using red ink, Lord Yu stamped all four documents. Then they were given to ChiYou. ChiYou took out a seal with three legged pheonix on it. Lord Yu's eyes gleamed for a moment in his desire for the seal. ChiYou stamped the documents and handed it to Amann. Amann took it with approval.

"I see that you have learned from our example. Efficient."

ChiYou chuckled.

"The Tauri has come a long way... and I am proud of them."

Amann took out his seal. The Alesian eagle was stamped on the documents with an electronic crackle. When the seal was lifted, it showed a gold eagle emblazoned with its talons stretched forward, with blue aura surrounding the eagle.

ChiYou approved.

"Interesting... very nice."

'It is our symbol, the talons are stretched forward protecting Alesia, our mother empire. It is a threat to our enemies and a protective stance toward friends and allies. The blue aura is the same aura used by the Alesian ascended."

Lord Yu spoke.

"I must inform the System Lords of our... alliance. They will be most pleased."

Amann raised an armored finger. Yu halted.

"Before you go, Lord Yu. Remember that with this document, you are now allies of the Empire. The talons are protecting you. Conversely, those talons are turned on Anubis. A word of warning. Betray us and those talons will come back and shred you."

Yu nodded, and turned when, with blinding white light, Thor appeared on his chair, next to Hammond. ChiYou raised an eyebrow.

"Greetings."

Amann put an armored hand to his breastplate in respect.

"Greetings Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard fleet, It has been a long time, old friend."

Thor nodded lightly.

"Though I am uncertain as whether we should call you an old friend Counciller Amann, I greet you. If I remember correctly, the Asgard and the Alesians were not in a good relationship nine thousand years ago."

"A minor skirmish in regards to our expansion after the Ancient Empire fell. It was over philosophical differences."

Thor nodded. Then he looked at Chiyou.

"It is good to see you again, ChiYou."

ChiYou bowed his head in respect.

"Supreme Commander... you have changed somewhat."

"You have not."

Then Thor turned toward Hammond.

"General Hammond, the Asgard have detected the Goa'uld vessel, and are awaiting your command to fire upon them. However, I was interesting in the reason for this intrusion."

"Well, Lord Yu represents the System Lords, who wishes to ally with us, the Alesians and the Asgard against Anubis."

Thor turned toward Lord Yu and spoke.

"Lord Yu, as you know that as a part of the Protected Planets Treaty, we cannot help you with the internal Goa'uld matters."

Lord Yu sneered lightly. He spoke.

"The System Lords are ready to make concessions to the Asgard, especially in regards to the Protected Planets Treaty."

Thor was surprised to say the least. Not only that, even Amann and ChiYou were surprised. Every passing moment confirmed that the System Lords were losing... really badly.

Amann spoke.

"What sort of concessions to the Asgard are you willing to make?"

Yu looked around.

"We recognize that while the Tauri have advanced significantly, they will still require some help in constructing ships to fight Anubis. However, the treaty stops the Asgard from helping the Tauri, and if we did not ignore it, the Asgard would have stopped you, the Alesians, from giving the Tauri technologies."

Thor considered it for a moment.

"Since it will nullify the Protected Planets Treaty as whole since we did not prevent artificial means of advancing the civilisations of a protected planet."

"Yes."

"You are willing to change that clause?"

Yu nodded.

"The System Lords have agreed to allow addition to the Treaty so as to make the Tauri as an exception. However, the Asgard will not be able to protect Tauri holdings within the Goa'uld domain with the treaty."

"That is acceptable."

Amann smirked.

"But we will."

Yu narrowed his eyes.

"However, we will require something from the Asgard as well."

"Very well."

"The System Lords are uncomfortable with the Alesian intrusion into the Goa'uld domain."

Thor replied.

"You know very well that the Asgard do not concern ourselves with the Goa'uld internal matters."

Yu leaned back in his chair.

"In return for the Asgard block against Alesian entering the Goa'uld domain, especially that of a System Lord, the System Lords are willing to allow planets Kurina, Shostas, Lemnis and Kahal into the Protected Planets Treaty."

Those worlds were some new planets that the Asgard were bluffing to get them into the treaty. This was unexpected, if the Asgard refused, it would mean that the Asgard no longer had the power to protect those worlds. Thor paused and then looked at Amann.

"I will speak to Councilor Amann alone."

Thor nodded to Amann. It was rude to beam up an advanced race without permission. Of course, that did not apply to the humans. They were young after all. Amann nodded and stood up. With a beam, they were on board Thor's ship. Thor spoke.

"The Asgard believes that the System Lords are at their limits in their concession. Any further aggression or pressure on either the Alesians of the Asgard, this tentative alliance may not bring enough benefits across the galaxy."

Amann considered the matter a moment. He spoke reluctantly.

"I will agree, even though it is mostly our allies gaining concessions. We aren't really gaining much."

"Yes, that is agreed. However, the Asgard High Council is quite expectant of Earth becoming strong. We believe that they can be the Fifth Race.... The Asgard are seriously considering removing most of our presence in this galaxy and leaving the protection of the Protected Planets in the hands of Earth and the capable hands of SGC."

Amann raised his eyebrow.

"You consider Earth the 5th race? What of my people then? Are we not fitting enough to be part of the old alliance?"

"You have taken a different step. You are a remnent of the old... and like us... must eventually give way to younger races. Did not the lessons of old reach you, yet? The Ancients did try to teach you."

"The Ancients were weak. You realize that they were completely unprepared for war against the Wraith. We endured when their civilization fell. We had to turn to war to survive. We were few in number and we needed to defend ourselves. We intended to return to the Ori Galaxy and unite our race again. But we are far from that goal."

"We are the Older Races, Amann. We must move on. We cannot dwell on the past forever. Like the universe itself, the motion is constant. The Asgard believes that leaving the galaxy in the hands of younger race whose hearts are as pure and good as the humans on Earth... is better than clinging the past."

"We live not for the past, but for a glorious future in which this galaxy and others will be united in a prosperity none of us could possibly dream. I have seen it, Thor. I have seen it more clearly. It is our duty to guide those younger races into a future that is undimmed by chaos and war. We wage war to preserve that peace. The price of freedom is paid in blood."

Thor's expression hardened.

"The Asgard High Council will not standby and allow your aggression destroy a chance to legitimately give Earth enough technologies to fight against Anubis and for them to advance."

There was an overt threat in his voice. Amann gave a cold glare in return.

"Who said we were going to impede them? We are helping them. Our ships will protect the worlds that will be given to Earth by the System Lords. It will stop them from getting second thoughts about attacking. We are also going to be giving them technologies and giving words of wisdom. We are guides, not dictators. Something the Ancients never fully appreciated. They thought of us as second class citizens. Barbaric! Backwards! They lacked the vision to do what is right and what is necessary for the greater good. That is why they fell Thor."

"Greater good for whom, Amann? There were those among the Asgard who believed that. They rather do what they deemed was necessary than what was right. I was hoping that you would understand that the path you walk may easily became as thin as a Furling blade."

Amann looked down. Something in his face softened. After a moment, he spoke sadly.

"I realize that more than anyone, Thor. I realize the temptations of power. I know that I walk a thin line, but what is necessary and what is right is often the same thing. Do you think I do not care about the primative people? Of course I do. And yet, we were undermined by the Ancients. And you supported them. I thought your race would have understood what we are trying to do most of all."

"We still understand why you felt that it was necessary, but we still do not approve. I would 'ask' that you refrain from illegally invading the Goa'uld space before the humans of Earth can stand on their own. If this deal can be reached, the Asgard High Council... has agreed to several technologies to be transferred to Earth."

"And after the Earth can stand on its own?"

Thor smiled. The Asgard smile was weird.

"We believe that Earth will protect the Protected Planets and lead the rebel Jaffa and other humans to freedom. It is their galaxy, and I am certain that the Goa'uld will fall by their hands... not ours... or yours."

"And would you approve of us guiding them like we have guided the planets in our domain?"

Thor narrowed his eyes.

"As long as you do not attempt to influence their growth. The Asgard High Council and I both believe that the humans of Earth has the right mix of... the Ancients and... Alesian aspects."

"Perhaps. We will see who is right eventually. Perhaps we can learn a thing or two from the second evolution of humanity."

"We are hoping to do so already. Our learning from their behaviors and thought patterns have provided... great insights and improvements. Shall we return to SGC?"

"One last thing, when we decide to fight the Ori. Will you help us?"

Thor hesitated.

"There are issues the Asgard must deal with... and if we are able, we will do what we can."

It was a vague answer at best, but Amann expected that of the Asgard. Amann nodded.

"When Anubis is crushed, we will see what we can do to help your problem. After all, our technology is superior to that of the Asgard. Our help could prove useful."

Thor narrowed his eyes again. The Asgard were a proud race.

"The Ancients were the advanced race... the Alesians... are also advanced enough."

Amann smiled.

"We advanced farther, but we advanced war technologies more than anything. I am sure we could help."

Thor nodded vaguely before beaming both of them down. Lord Yu was waiting impatiently. Thor spoke.

"Councilor Amann has agreed to... refrain from illegally invading System Lords' territories... with the exception of Anubis or during any action against Anubis."

Amann nodded in agreement.

Lord Yu nodded. The deal was on. Earth was now able to receive technologies from the Asgard and the Alesians. He left the room to head back to his Ha'tak in orbit. Amann and Galadriel beamed back up to their ship. ChiYou remained to talk with the Tok'ra. They had a lot to discuss. The alliance was reforged. The battle for the Milky Way has just begun.

_To be continued…_


	24. An Empire Reborn

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 24: An Empire Reborn**

Chiyou, Sel'mak, General Hammond, and SG-1 were still standing from the departure of the Alesians and Lord Yu. It was ChiYou who spoke first.

"I think we have alot to discuss."

Hammond nodded.

"Let's sit down first."

Everyone took their seats. Chiyou sat across from Selmak as SG-1 took various positions around the table. General Hammond sat in his customary place at the head of the table. Selmak spoke first.

"Lord ChiYou, it was rumoured that you were killed by Ra and the System Lords. It brings great hope in my heart that you are alive."

ChiYou nodded.

"It took a few thousand years for the stasis chamber to revive me. The System Lords banished me, but they were not able to capture me or imprison me forever. They blockaded the planet. In time they forgot about me as a threat."

ChiYou looked across the table.

"So, you are a Tok'ra. Amann has informed me of a resistance group... You are?"

"I am Selmak, my lord. My host is Jacob Carter of Tauri. We of the Tok'ra are the children of Egeria, our queen."

ChiYou looked surprised.

"Egeria, my queen?"

Selmak nodded.

"From what we know, you were her mate."

"She was my queen, my beloved. I had assumed that Ra either killed her or imprisoned her as well."

"We believe her to have died... though there is no solid evidence of it."

ChiYou sighed and spoke.

"If she is still alive, I cannot contact her. But I must reclaim my former worlds. Do you have any information on them?"

Selmak shook his head.

"Our knowledge of your empire is scarce, though we know of several worlds that were taken by the System Lords, but no one has able to find your capital world of Kauri."

ChiYou nodded.

"Kauri would be protected and hidden. No one can access its stargate until a proper code has been submitted. Only my core worlds would be able to access each other's stargates."

Selmak's face brightened up.

"That means that the Goa'ulds do not know where they are."

"Most likely."

O'Neill raised his pen in a mocking gesture.

"So, Selmak, what's going on?"

Daniel and Sam began to explain as best as they could, but ChiYou held his hand up for silence.

"It means that my worlds only await my return. I will be a power once more. The System Lords would fear me. I would be a major power player in their politics.

Sam cleared her throat.

"Well, sir... From what the Tok'ra explained, ChiYou was the mate to Egeria, their queen, which means that..."

O'Neill smirked.

"So ChiYou is the daddy?"

Selmak shook her head.

"That's a crude way of saying it, but…that is correct, Colonel O'Neill. If Egeria is our mother, than ChiYou is our father."

Hammond folded his hands.

"Sorry to interfere with the meeting between the Tok'ra and ChiYou, but we really need to discuss the situation with the System Lord and our deal."

Selmak paused and Jacob came out.

"Well, actually, George, this is regarding that as well. No matter what deal we have made, Earth will not have a proper voice if the System Lords look down on Lord ChiYou, since he is your representative."

ChiYou smiled.

"Well, it is time they see me as an equal. I should regain control of the worlds that are mine. Once I get a suitable fleet and army going again, they won't look down on me. They would fear me and therefore listen to my interests and yours."

A silence fell over the room as everyone thought. Finally, Hammond spoke.

"You realise our reluctance on this."

Jacob replied.

"I understand how you feel, George, but the Tok'ra would vouch for Lord ChiYou. Even if you won't help him, they will."

O'Neill winced.

"You realise what you are asking us to do. You are asking us to help a snakehead, a snakehead who hasn't been verified as an ally, to regain his fleet and army. You understand our reservation on this."

Sam and Daniel tried to talk O'Neill out of that mindset.

"Sir, the Alesians obviously trust him enough."

"And obviously Thor knows him."

O'Neill frowned and then nodded slowly.

"Well, if Thor likes him, then he is fine by me."

ChiYou sighed again.

"I know that you are enemies of the Goa'uld, And I am of that race. I am not of their idealogy however. I am superior to them in that respect. It is my intention to reform my species to be benevolent."

Selmak agreed.

"Egeria took ChiYou's ideology and created the Tok'ra."

Daniel raised his pen and pointed it at ChiYou

"So you are like a prototype Tok'ra."

ChiYou nodded. O'Neill looked at Teal'c.

"T, what do you think?"

"The name of the Red Devil has been greatly feared and hated by the Goa'uld. If ChiYou would reveal himself, he would become a formidable name among the System Lords, perhaps enough even to halt Anubis for a while."

ChiYou nodded again.

"Yes, it will give pause to our enemies. I will be able to consolidate my power while representing your interests. In addition, I could raise fleets and armies that could fight Anubis. Anubis feared me four thousand years ago. He will fear me even now."

Hammond gave a chuckle.

"That's good enough for me. So Jacob, what do we know of the System Lords' current situation? They must be damn desparate to offer such deal."

"As I have said, they are in a state of panic. Their fleets are crushed and their domains under attack. Selmak believes that the System Lords are attempting to draw Anubis' attention away from themselves and point it at Earth."

Samantha Carter leaned back.

"What's our next step, sirs?"

Daniel answered.

"Build more ships? Thor said he would help us out, and the Alesians also want to help."

ChiYou shook his head.

"Alesians have recently suffered a great civil war. Despite their bravado, they are in no condition to attack Anubis with any sizeable force nor help you with your technological development. However, I am a free agent, and I am sure that with my participation, the Tok'ra will be glad to help you as well."

Selmak nodded. Daniel thought about what ChiYou just said and then replied.

"Do we have any idea how many ships the Alesians can put forward against Anubis?"

"I dare not speculate on exact numbers but they will be few. Alesians will not be able to fight Anubis until their internal situations are resolved. It will be up to the Tauri to maintain his deal with the System Lords."

Hammond added thoughtfully.

"It seems logical the Alesians will be combining fleets and forces with the System Lords then."

"I would not be so sure. Amann is deeply distrusting of the System Lords, and he understand that they will strike him down if they ever had an upper hand. You cannot rely on the Asgard nor the Alesians for your protection much longer. You must begin a path to protect yourselves. To do that, you need more ships and ground forces. To get those, you need to involve the entire world."

Hammond responded.

"We could get the other nations to speed up production of the BC-304 battleships. We have 4 more ships being made currently. The Dedalus is the only ship of that class to be completed. The Prometheus is only a small cruiser."

ChiYou mused, then spoke to Hammond.

"If you would allow me to see the design of your ships, I might be able to advise you better."

Selmak spoke suddenly.

"My lord, though the Tauri has advanced greatly, they and their ships are very primitive. Perhaps somehow acquiring more Ha'taks would be better."

O'Neill leaned forward.

"Who are you calling primitive?"

ChiYou smiled.

"Colonel O'Neill is right. The Tauri have come a long way, and I believe that they are on the verge. Besides, Ha'taks will be nothing more than hinderance against Anubis now that he has advanced technologies beyond the Goa'uld."

Selmak thought for a moment.

"Perhaps, but the Asgard have given them several new technologies, but their ships will require more powerful weapons than the railguns and nuclear missiles."

Hammond nodded to Sam who went down to get the designs, while ChiYou shook his head.

"I spoke briefly to Supreme Commander Thor. They will not 'give' any new technologies... but I can help with the implementation of the technologies you already have... and some of the new technologies that the Alesians and I will provide..."

ChiYou pulled out a holographic crystal and placed it on the table. Several weapon designs appeared in a flash of light. He waited while Samantha Carter came back in with the ship designs. One was a design of the Prometheus cruiser, another was a Dedalus class battleship, the last design was that of a standard Ha'tak and an Al'kesh. She looked at the weapon designs and went over the schematics. Meanwhile, ChiYou looked at the Earth ships and the Ha'tak designs

"Interesting."

Selmak frowned.

"Interesting?"

"The ships are hideous, but quite efficient if given enough shielding and weapons."

Samantha compared the designs of the weapons and selected one and placed them with a holographic image of a Prometheus class ship. ChiYou raised an eyebrow.

"Ahh, the ionized laser cannon... ancient obsolete weapon of the Alesians..."

O'Neill looked confused.

"Carter? Would you like to explain what that is?"

Sam brought up the design of the weapon firing.

"This is an Alesian version of what we call a directed energy weapon. While it is not enough to fight an Ancient or an Asgard ship, it will destroy a Ha'tak's shield with a few concentrated shots. This will enable our ships to attack with nukes."

"Cool"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"That is quite a powerful weapon."

ChiYou nodded.

"It is obsolete, since the Alesians have much more powerful weapons on their ships. Their beam cannons are able to kill a Ha'tak with one shot. Even the upgraded Ha'taks can only take a few hits from the beam cannon of the Alesians. But those weapons cannot be powered by Earth ships. It is too much of a strain for them. This is a good substitute to mount. However, there is a problem with the ionized laser. It can only take down a shield. It does not do much in hull damage because the Naquadah in the hull of the Ha'taks will allow it to absorb the energy from the weapon."

Daniel frowned.

"That's no good then."

Sam interrupted.

"Not really... Our conventional weapons are actually more powerful against their hull."

Jacob spoke.

"You mean the railguns and missiles?"

Chiyou answered.

"Yes, the armor on a Ha'tak is unable to withstand the high velocities of ballistic weapons. It is only able to fend off the damage from energy weapons. It's primary protection against ballistic weapons is the shields. Once the shields are gone, they are vulnerable."

Hammond looked interested.

"So what do you suggest?"

ChiYou looked over at Hammond.

"I first need to know some of the technologies you have garnered over the years. Until Amann returns with the acutal prototypes of the weapons so that you may reverse-engineer them, I must help you with what you already have."

Hammond nodded to Sam, and Sam, smiling, went back downstairs. O'Neill spoke.

"So you are going to make us weapons?"

ChiYou chuckled.

"I cannot 'make' you a weapon, Colonel. However, I can 'advise' you in upgrading your weapons, and how best to... implement the technologies you have."

"That is some fine line there..."

Sel'mak looked over.

"It is. Though the System Lords will attempt to protect Earth and its holdings, it is best not to violate the Protected Planets Treaty as much as you can. If Anubis is defeated, the System Lords will use that excuse against the Asgard and the Protected Planets."

Sam came back in with a laptop. She sat down and started to run simulations on the various new weapons. She looked up.

"The Alesians also gave us a schematic for a pulse cannon. It appears to be a larger version of the weapon than what appears on their fighters. The simulation shows it can destroy a Ha'tak with a minute or two of substained fire."

Selmak looked at them.

"Impressive weapons. They look like they could be used as a ground defense too. It would give the Tok'ra an anti-air defense against any future assaults on our bases. However, though these are powerful, but they will consume far more power than what your fighters can provide, and inefficient for Prometheus or Daedalus."

Sam smiled.

"I think these weapons would be best mounted on the Ha'taks. They generate more power than our ships, even if that power is generally inefficiently used by the Goa'uld. Despite their knowledge, the Goa'uld aren't the smartest when it comes to efficient use of their technologies."

Chiyou smiled. The Tauri have come a long way indeed.

"Yes. I will advise you on how to modify a Ha'tak's weapons. Also, I would suggest dismantling at least one Ha'tak to provide necessary resources and materials for upgrading your ships, and perhaps build more."

ChiYou looked through at the list of technologies at an incredible speed while opening only the ones that he was particularly interested in. ChiYou spoke in Goa'uld to Selmak and then asked a few questions to Sam.

"This Orban naquadah generator... quite good... but not as efficient as I would like. I believe I can improve the efficiency by 20% with 15% longer lifespan."

Carter looked at ChiYou.

"That is quite impressive. I would like to go over the schematics with you."

ChiYou nodded.

"Yes, but I must depart to my planets soon to regain control. I will have to start constructing ships and recruiting armies to help in the coming war."

Sel'mak frowned.

"My lord, those planets have not... been under your command for thousands of years."

"Then I must see if my people still believes in me as their King."

--

_Elsewhere in the galaxy…_

500 Jaffa under the command of Bastet and Yu were fighting in the ruins of an old temple against 100 of Anubis's Jaffa and 5 kull warriors. 3 of the scout drones used by Anubis were also present. Armed with powerful blasters and shields, they are ideal for scouting and for anti-personnel duties. They hovered on the flanks of the defending System Lord Jaffa. The Jaffa loyal to the System Lords were being slaughtered. Already 50 of them have fallen with only 7 of the Jaffa loyal to Anubis killed. The Kull Warriors were able to aim accurately as they got closer to the defensive positions. The Staff cannon emplacements were being suppressed as the drones rained fire on them. The Stargate activated as 1000 more of Anubis Jaffa and 50 more Kull warriors entered the fray. The System Lord Jaffa were demoralized. They pulled back further into the ruins. They had no chance of escape. The commander of the Jaffa was named Ne'tak. He turned to his soldiers.

"Jaffa Kree! For our Gods!"

The Jaffa cheered and took cover and fired back at the reinforcements, 30 more of Anubis's Jaffa fell. But they kept coming.

_In orbit…_

2 Al'kesh were in orbit, ready to give aerial support. The pilot was bored, flying in a mission that he was not really needed in. Anubis had enough ground soldiers to win easily. The sensors chirped and he looked at the screen. His eyes widened just as the Al'kesh was obliterated in a hail of drones. The Alesian cruiser that destroyed the Al'kesh turned and engaged the other bomber. The other ship was also destroyed. Onboad the ship, instead of the usual cargo that accompanied the 70 man crew, an additional company of Alesian soldiers awaited to beam down to the planet. They also had a surprise to unleash on Anubis. With a cheer, they beamed down along with the surprise. The commander of the company smiled. He turned to another white armored Legionnaire.

"Prepare the Predator."

"Yes Commander."

The order was given as the walker stood up. It was 30 feet tall and boasted weapons on both arms. The right arm had a powerful laser that destroyed most armored vehicles and took down shields. On the left arm was a powerful shockwave cannon used to kill infantry and destroy light vehicles. It also had the added effect of an EMP blast. The technology and doctrine for the walkers was taken from a world named G'tol that submitted to the Empire 15,000 years ago. The walker began to move forward under the guidance of the pilot in the heavily armored torso. The head was hunched forward slightly, its visor glowing blue as the shield on the walker activated. The Alesians cheered and ran behind the walker. The Predator fired the shockwave cannon at the enemy Jaffa. The System Lord Jaffa watched in awe as the walker killed half of the enemy soldiers without taking damage. The Alesian Legionnaires cheered as they cut down and blasted aside the remaining enemy Jaffa. The last ones to fall were the Kull warriors, and they were overwhelmed by sheer numbers as they were fired upon and hacked to death with plasma blades. The Alesian commander walked up to Ne'tak and saluted with a fist to his breastplate.

"I am Commander Atera of the Alesian 4th Legion. Observe and remember what happened here. Tell your masters that the Alesians are fighting besides our allies. Be sure to not abuse the trust of the Empire, Jaffa."

The Jaffa commander nodded as Atera turned around and ordered his men to scout the area for more of the enemy. One could never tell without looking if there weren't a few survivors.

_To be continued…_


	25. The Return of a Hidden Power

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 25: The Return of A Hidden Power**

ChiYou got up and strode to the window of the briefing room. He looked at the stargate and turned back to SG-1 and General Hammond.

"I will need you to come with me to Kauri, my former homeworld. You can be quite useful in dealing with them."

Hammond looked at O'Neill.

"Colonel?"

"I don't mind, sir. It would be nice to see a planet that won't try to kills us for a change."

ChiYou nodded.

"I will leave my ship in lockdown mode. It will only hinder us. We will use the stargate. I can access the code and I know its coordinates. If you will follow me, I will proceed to the control room and start dialing."

Chiyou walked off and the rest followed the Goa'uld to the gateroom. Sel'mak walked alongside him.

"I will accompany you, my lord."

"Very well, Selmak."

O'Neill spoke to General Hammond.

"General?"

"You have a go, Colonel."

ChiYou sat down at one of the dialing consoles and input 7 coordinates. The gate started to spin as he stood back up and touched one of his guantlets. A gold light shone from the jewel he was wearing. He turned to speak.

"This device is broadcasting the signal to lower the gate's defenses. It will allow connection to the Kauri Stargate. You would not be able to connect normally."

Hammond and Selmak watched as the gate connected. Within minutes, a MALP was readied to be sent. Meanwhile, SG-1 was changing to their gears. The MALP was sent through. After a few seconds it emerged on the other side and began to look around. The cameras on the MALP looked around. The Stargate was within a small complex, but the roof was open to the sky. Heavy weapons were mounted and manned within the 4 corners of the room. A gatehouse stood next to the exit, about 15 meters in front of the Stargate. There were about a hundred guards in the room pointing weapons at the MALP. The soldiers were wearing silver armor. The armor was placed over a silvery grey uniform. The weapons were shaped like heavy weapons in the modern armies of Earth, but they were also of a grey color. Jackson was stunned to say the least.

"Well, that's different. Not even the Goa'uld are so protective of the Stargates... and from the paved road from the Stargate, these people use the gate frequently."

ChiYou looked interested.

"They have really evolved since I have been gone. I am surprised at their technological progress."

Sel'mak spoke.

"They are obviously advanced people."

O'Neill shrugged.

"They look okay..."

ChiYou looked at the rest of them.

"They are going to be dangerous. We will have to be diplomatic. Let us go meet them."

Hammond spoke.

"Wait. We have protocols. We do not just barge in through the gate. They are obviously aware of the Stargate and use them. We can communicate through the MALP."

Chiyou looked at General Hammond, then nodded.

"Very well. Open communication with them please. I wish to speak with them and see if they still remember me."

When one of the people on the other side, someone of obvious authority, came closer to the MALP, Hammond spoke into the microphone.

"This is General Hammond of Earth. We mean you no harm."

The man cocked his head lightly and chuckled as if laughing at the primitiveness of the MALP. Hammond looked slightly annoyed.

"You can talk and we can hear you."

The officer smiled.

"I am GyungBae Park, commander of the Gate Guard. Are you within the vehicle or speaking to us from the other side?"

"I am on the other side of the gate."

"So you are not tiny people after all!"

The soldiers all laughed, and ChiYou laughed at their humour.

"I like them. I suggest we arrange a meeting on their world."

Hammond nodded.

"We are about to send some of our people through. Is it alright with you?"

"Sure... but they will have to submit to our search."

Hammond nodded to SG-1 and Chiyou. They took that as a Go-ahead for the mission and walked to the gateroom. Upon arriving, they walked through to the stargate. They were met by the soldiers of Kauri. Commander Park greeted the team and ChiYou.

"Greetings, fellow humans. Are you the people we spoke to through that device?"

He pointed toward the MALP.

O'Neill nodded.

"We would be those people. I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill of SG-1, and this is my team, Major Samantha Carter, Dr Daniel Jackson and Teal'c."

Park pointed at Teal'c.

"That one carries the mark of Apep."

O'Neill turned to Daniel.

"Daniel?"

"Apep is Apophis..."

"Ah... that... Well, Teal'c can explain."

Teal'c inclined his head.

"I was indeed the former first prime of Apophis. I joined with the humans of Tauri against him, since I saw the evil of the Goa'uld and their false godhood. I fight with them now, and Apophis is dead thanks to the actions of the Tauri."

Park nodded, and turned to Selmak and ChiYou.

"Who are these? Our scans show Goa'ulds symbiotes within them."

The SG-1 noted the word 'symbiote' rather than 'parasite'. Jacob Carter spoke in the voice of the Goa'uld.

"I am Sel'mak of the Tok'ra."

Park narrowed his eyes.

"What are Tok'ra? Some sort of Goa'uld cabal?"

Sel'mak shook his head.

"No, we are a resistance group formed some two thousand years ago by a Goa'uld queen named Egeria. She taught us the philosophy of peacefully coexisting with our hosts rather than forciably taking over their minds."

Park seemed a bit surprised.

"Egeria? Our great Ancestor Mother? You are of her children?"

Sel'mak nodded.

"We are of Egeria. ChiYou was her mate. You know of her then?"

"Of course, the Queen of ChiYou, our Ancester Emperor, the last of the great line of Divine Emperors. Even now, our temples pray for their return."

ChiYou nodded.

"You prayers have been answered, my children. I am ChiYou ChunHwang, the Emperor of Baedal!"

Park paused then he frowned in anger.

"You dare? You dare to pretend to be our great ancestor? This blasphemy will not go unpunished! Guards!"

Several dozen guards aimed their weapons at SG-1 and friends. O'Neill was quickly alarmed.

"Oy... yay... I thought today was gonna be a good day..."

ChiYou's eyes flashed but O'Neill stopped him.

"Let's just go along shall we? We got into situations like this a lot. I am sure things will work out..."

Chiyou looked at O'Neil and nodded.

"Very well."

They were escorted into the city. They were led through a street of white marble and granite buildings, with clear grey stone for the pavings. The streets were not filled with cars, but in fact were for pedestrians, who were many. Trees lined up the streets as if this was a park. Above them, much to the amazement of the SG-1, hover vehicles flew past them. It took a while but they reached a sort of landing pad, where vehicles of same design were parked in a circle. Obivously either police car or military. They were escorted into the back of one of the cars, and they took off immediately. The vehicle was very comfortable and when the vehicle stopped, they were beamed directly into the holding cells.

The halls were of the same white marble that they saw earlier, except there were many loose bars indicating the cells. They were put into one of the cells and an energy field shimmered as the guards left. O'Neill reached out to touch the bar and he jerked his hand back as a flash interconnected with his hand.

"Ahhh! I wouldn't recommend touching the bars Daniel."

"Yeah, I was going to reach my hand toward a force field."

They waited a few moments as a politician and a man in robes walked in. The guards at the end of the hallway saluted as they walked past. The politician spoke first.

"I am Prime Minister Kim of the Kauri Republic. This is High Priest Dae."

ChiYou walked toward the bars.

"I am Chiyou."

The Prime Minister raised his eyebrow. The priest hissed angrily.

"Heresy!"

ChiYou was angered.

"You dare doubt my honor? My word?"

The Prime Minister raised his hand.

"Please, let us hear him out, High Priest."

Dae fell silent as ChiYou paced.

"If my word is not enough, then how may I prove I am who I say I am?"

The Prime Minister turned toward Dae.

"Is there any way he can prove his identity? We know our creator was a Goa'uld and this one's species is that of the Goa'uld."

The high priest nodded reluctantly.

"We do have some…..DNA samples. We could take some of them and run a full check between the two."

ChiYou looked at the priest directly.

"Then do so immediately. Take what you need."

The Prime Minister nodded as a medical team was summoned to the cell. They took samples of tissue from both the symbiote and the host and walked away to compare the samples.

"This will only take a few minutes."

ChiYou nodded. Sam was amazed.

"They can compare DNA that quickly? It takes days on Earth."

O'Neill spoke up.

"What? They only take a few minutes on CSI!"

Daniel and Sam rolled their eyes. Sam was the next to speak.

"Sir, you do realize that is fiction right? It takes days in the real world to compare DNA with tests."

O'Neill frowned.

"Really?"

Jacob started laughing. O'Neill turned.

"What is so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just that….Sel'mak likes CSI. Even among the Tok'ra, we do not have the technology to compare DNA that quickly, but it only takes a few hours for us."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"O'Neill is right. I have seen Dr. Fraiser compare DNA within a few hours."

Carter replied.

"That is because we use alien technologies in the SGC labs. They are more efficient than our standard equipment."

The High Priest turned as an acolyte walked to him and whispered in his ear. He paled as he heard the news of the DNA tests. He immediately dropped to his knees and prostrated him before ChiYou. The Prime Minister clearly enjoyed the sight.

"Forgive me, my lord! I was a fool to doubt your word!"

ChiYou smiled.

"You were right to do so. You have learned much. Now if you don't mind, I would like to be let out of this cell."

The cell doors opened immediately as SG-1, Sel'mak and ChiYou exited the prison. They were taken to another building where there were many fluffy mattresses. The word was spread of the return of ChiYou. Preperations were being undertaken for the grand celebration. O'Neill noticed one of the beds and flopped onto it.

"Ah nice!"

ChiYou smiled. He was finally home.


	26. Lost City Part 1

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 26: Lost City**

_On Earth…_

O'Neill was in his bathroom shaving. It was morning, the start of a beautiful day. He was heading to the SGC within an hour. As he was shaving, his phone rang. He picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Jack, its Daniel."

O'Neill sighed.

"I will be there in a half-hour."

"I'm sorry, but this cannot wait. SG-2 just returned from P2X-439. They think there is an Ancient repository of knowledge there. I think it might contain the location of the lost city of the Ancients that was mentioned from the tablet on Abydos. The one that might carry weapons capable of defeating Anubis."

O'Neill remembered one such repository of knowledge. It had downloaded all of the knowledge of the Ancients. The sheer amount of information came close to killing him before the timely intervention of the Asgard. He quickly ended the conversation.

"Daniel, I'll be there in a half hour. O'Neill out."

O'Neill hung up and started humming as he finished shaving. He looked at the crossword puzzle he was trying to finish.

--

_2 hours later…_

Colonel O'Neill walked out of the elevator to find Daniel waiting for him. Daniel checked his watch.

"30 minutes, Jack?"

O'Neill looked confused then shrugged.

"Traffic?"

Daniel Jackson shook his head as he walked toward the briefing room. O'Neill followed him into the briefing room. Carter appeared nearby.

"Morning sir. Any reason why you were late?"

O'Neill shook his head as he handed her the crossword puzzle. Carter took it.

"The fate of the world is to be decided and you were completing a crossword puzzle?"

O'Neill shrugged.

"It was double or nothing."

Carter looked at the puzzle again.

"Ok. 23 across, the atomic weight of boron is ten. You wrote 'Fat'."

O'Neill shrugged.

"It seemed like a good answer.

"Ok. The clue for 10 down is Celestial body and he wrote 'Uma Thurman'."

Daniel shook his head.

--

_Some time later…_

Daniel was explaining the results of his research and the mission briefing. Samantha Carter, Teal'c, and General Hammond listened with rapt attention. O'Neill's head was down, he was starting to doze off. Daniel stopped speaking.

"Jack, you getting this?"

O'Neill's head came straight up.

"Yeah, every word."

Daniel looked skeptical.

"Ok, because this is very important."

Daniel began speaking again.

"Ok. So I was saying, SG-2 found several Ancient ruins. They think that an Ancient repository of knowledge is there based on the glyphs on the walls. They are written in Ancient and one set translates to 'Place of Knowledge.' I believe it is worth sending teams to search for the repository if possible."

Hammond nodded.

"Agreed. SG-3 and 5 will go with you. Briefing ajourned."

They all got up from their chairs. SG-1 headed to the control room. General Hammond ordered the gate to be dialed and for SG-3 and 5 to suit up. Sergeant Walter began the sequence.

"Chevron 1 encoded."

The rest of the team began to suit up. Walter counted the chevrons as they began to light up. The team finished suiting up just as Walter said.

"Chevron 7 locked."

The gate activated as the event horizon appeared with the _kawoosh_ of the Stargate vortex. SG-1 headed to the gateroom, they found the 8 members of SG-3 and 5 waiting for them. O'Neill nodded to the team leaders as they headed through the Stargate to emerge on the other side. O'Neill turned to speak to the gathered team members.

"SG-3 and 5, secure the gate. My team will search the ruins for the repository. Keep alert."

SG-1 moved toward the ruins. SG-3 and 5 took defensive positions. A few had rocket launchers intended for an anti-aircraft role. They knew they might be called on to defend the Stargate at all costs.

--

_In orbit…_

A flash was seen over the planet as 2 Al'kesh and a Ha'tak appeared over the planet. They belonged to Anubis. Anubis knew of the repository's location and wanted the lost city for himself. He knew the lost city was a great wealth of weapons and various other technology, one that could aid him in defeating all his enemies. Several Death Gliders took off from the Ha'tak as the two Al'kesh headed down.

--

_Down on the surface…_

Daniel started reading more of the wall as the rest of the team sat around. Only Daniel was familiar with the language of the Ancients, since he was the foremost expert on their race. He pressed a glyph and a small device appeared in the wall, with two hands protruding out from it. They all immediately stood back, since anyone caught in the device would get a massive amount of information downloaded into their brain. The physiology of humans was not advanced enough to handle that much information without suffering cerebral failure within a week. Colonel O'Neill remembered the last time he had a repository of the Ancients downloaded into his head. He started speaking Ancient and building stuff without any idea what he was doing. They all looked at the device. Carter and Daniel approached the device carefully from the side. Major Carter looked at O'Neill.

"Sir, there should be a way to download the information into the control crystals we brought. It will take some time."

O'Neill nodded as his radio activated.

"SG-3 to SG-1"

O'Neill answered.

"Go ahead."

"We have incoming on the MALP radar, sir. A lot of incoming."

O'Neill looked up. He saw the incoming Al'kesh and Death Gliders coming down.

"Defend the gate, we will be done here soon. SG-1 out."

O'Neill looked to the device. Daniel frowned.

"This is not good."

An Al'kesh flew overhead and fired a bomb at the group.

"Take cover!"

The entire team dove to the ground as the bomb exploded nearby. They all got up rather dazed. O'Neill looked around.

"We need that information. We don't have time to get it out with crystals."

Daniel made a move to put his head in the device but O'Neill restrained him by pushing him back.

"No! No! No!"

Daniel frantically pointed a hand toward the device.

"Jack! This is about the Lost City! The answer is in there!"

"And who does the translating when you go Ancient?"

They ducked as another bomb hit nearby. O'Neill threw his hat at Daniel.

"Matter of fact, you are the only one who can do it!"

O'Neill stuck his head in the device. The device latched on and grabbed his head as information was downloaded. Daniel and Carter were shocked.

"Jack!"

"Sir!"

The device released him after a few seconds and O'Neill slumped to the ground. They started to carry him back toward the Stargate. SG-3 and 5 were locked in a furious air defense battle as they fired off rocket after rocket at the Goa'uld aircraft. The Death Gliders fired bolts of orange plasma at the defenders, but their accuracy was horrible. The much larger Al'kesh flew overhead dropping bombs and firing orange plasma from his defense turrets. The Colonel of SG-3 yelled into his radio.

"SG-1! Where the hell are you?"

The defense teams fired their machine guns and rockets at the Death Gliders. They brought down two gliders. They came down crashing nearby in the forests, exploding as they hit the ground. He finally caught sight of SG-1 as they carried Colonel O'Neill. A bomb exploded nearby and they fell to the ground. O'Neill stirred slightly. The team bent over him.

"Jack?"

O'Neill blinked and looked up.

"What's going on?"

The team stood aside as he got up weakly. They started to jog back to the gate while the other teams defended the gate. The gate was activated as everyone went back through the Stargate quickly. Hammond was waiting for them on the other side.

"SG-1, what happened?"

Carter saluted.

"We need to get Colonel O'Neill to the infirmary, sir."

The other members of SG-3 and 5 appeared. O'Neill walked back General Hammond.

"I…did it again, sir."

Hammond was confused. It would make for an interesting briefing.

--

_Later on…_

Hammond was astounded at the news he was hearing.

"How in the hell did this happen?"

Carter spoke.

"It wasn't an accident, Sir."

Daniel piped up.

"He did it deliberately."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"In order to access the knowledge of the Ancients."

Daniel spoke quietly.

"He, uh...or we, figured we'd never get another shot at it."

Carter nodded.

"We know from experience that the Ancient knowledge will essentially over-write the Colonel's brain. We're hoping that during the transformation process, he'll become aware of the information we're looking for."

"And then?"

"And then, it will overwhelm his nervous system, and the Colonel will.."

Colonel O'Neill entered.

"What? Meet my maker? Pay the piper? Breach the pearly gates? Start pushing up daisies here and there?"

Hammond was surprised.

"You should be in the infirmary."

O'Neill smiled, but it was without amusement.

"Why? We all know exactly what's going to happen. In a few days I start speaking some strange language, a few days after that, I start doing things beyond my control, and a few days after that, it's good night, my someone, good night."

O'Neill looked around.

"I'm fine for now. I request the weekend off so I can put my affairs in order."

"Granted."

O'Neill walked out of the room. The rest of the team and Hammond looked concerned. After 7 years of working together, they were friends even outside work.

--

_On P2X-439…_

It was dark on the planet. A line of Jaffa knelt in front of the ruins and the destroyed repository. The black, cloaked form of Anubis appeared.

"Speak."

One of the Jaffa looked up.

"My Lord, I believe humans of the Tauri were here and took what you were looking for. They destroyed the repository."

Anubis was angered.

"And you failed to stop them."

"We tried everything in our power to stop them, my Lord. We were…."

The Jaffa stopped as Anubis raised up his hand and turned away. The two Kull warriors looked at Anubis and then turned around and started killing all of the Jaffa in front of the ruins. Anubis had made it clear failure was not to be tolerated.

--

_A few days later…_

O'Neill walked into the briefing room of the SGC. He was still shocked at the conversation the team had with General Hammond at his house the day after he took his leave. Hammond had been relieved of command of the SGC and recalled to Washington to consult with President Hayes. Dr. Weir had replaced him as the commander of the SGC for now. Bra'tac had arrived with news that Anubis was en route to Earth to attack them. The old Jaffa warrior was sitting consulting with the rest of SG-1, Dr. Weir, and Vice President Kinsey. O'Neill intensely disliked Kinsey and gave him a glare as he sat down in his chair. Formerly a Senator, Kinsey got the VP seat through a combination of his contacts and his power. He was a chairman of the Appropriations Committee, which had given him power to incercede to the SGC's detriment. Weir stood up.

"Hello Colonel O'Neill. It is good to see you again. You may simply call me doctor, since I have no official rank."

Kinsey replied.

"You can just call her your last best hope of stepping through the Stargate again.

O'Neill looked at the Vice President. He shrugged.

"Bit of a mouthful."

Wier smirked despite herself. She was suggested to replace Hammond by the VP, but she held no great regard for the man. Kinsey spoke.

"You are sure that the attack is coming Bra'tac."

O'Neill broke the silence.

"Master Bra'tac."

Kinsey glared at O'Neill. Bra'tac nodded, noting the hostility. He was a warrior of 140 years old and he had great respect for SG-1. Teal'c was his protogee student and a good friend. He was unsure of Kinsey, initially holding respect for the senior leader, but his respect diminished as he noted the hostility of O'Neill and some of the others. Bra'tac spoke.

"You can be certain of it. He will be here in 3 days."

O'Neill spoke.

"That is why we should go look for the Lost City. But why now?"

Carter thought a moment.

"Anubis must think we have Ancient technology. He will want to deal with us if he thinks he possess such technology."

Kinsey scorned O'Neill and Carter.

"That is a stupid idea. I doubt this is more than an attempt to gain more funding for the SGC by using alien allies to overstate the threat of Anubis."

O'Neill interrupted.

"Oh for crying out loud…with all DUE respect, Mr. VICE president. I seem to recall the President agreeing with the assessment of the SGC. I request permission from Dr. Weir to look for the Lost City. If I get the go-ahead, I will start preparing at once."

Dr. Weir frowned.

"Can we negotiate with Anubis."

O'Neill shook his head.

"No, that is derantis."

Jackson frowned. O'Neill looked at him.

"What?"

"You just said derantis."

"Did not."

"Did to."

O'Neill shrugged.

"Derantis, what is that?"

"I don't know. But I think it means 'insane' in Ancient."

O'Neill turned back to Weir.

"I would like the go-ahead once we find where we are going?"

Weir looked around. She finally nodded.

"Agreed Colonel. The Asgard have told us their war with the replicators is not faring well. They are unable to defend our planet. We have tried to contact the Alesians, but their gates seem to be locked down. We cannot connect to them at all. Their war with Anubis must be at a critical level. We need new technology that is able to fend off our enemies. You have a go, Colonel."

O'Neill and SG-1 got up. They were to depart to Chu'lak as soon as O'Neill was able to find out where they were supposed to go. O'Neill walked to the dining area and continued on his crossword puzzle. The rest of the team sat down and got food. Teal'c had gone to Chu'lak to find ships and Jaffa warriors to help defend Earth. Daniel was eating Jello when he noticed two words on the crossword puzzle. He snatched the puzzle away and looked at the words.

"Proclarush? Taonas?"

Daniel looked at the clues for the words.

"Taonas for sphere? And Proclarush for label? The words are Ancient. They translate to 'lost in fire'."

O'Neill then ripped the symbol patch off Jackson's jacket and pointed to the symbol and the words.

"At."

Daniel frowned a minute then looked up.

"Yes. Of course."

Carter frowned.

"What is it?"

Daniel looked up.

"Sound it out. 7 syllables. 7 symbols to a gate address. The syllables to the Ancient name is the gate address. Now we just need O'Neill to give us the means to find the symbols."

--

_A few hours later…_

Carter was looking through the library of gate addresses. She shook her head. The rest of the team was bored, wishing she would hurry up. Finally she spoke.

"We hit a snag. We tried to dial this address that the Colonel gave us two years ago. We could not establish a lock. That means either the gate is buried or destroyed.

Daniel frowned.

"Lost in fire…..We should go to Chulak and see if Teal'c has managed to find any ships able to come to Earth's defense. We can use one of them to go to Proclarush Taonas."

Dr. Jackson, O'Neill, and Carter walked up to Weir's office. They had work to do.

_To be continued…_


	27. Lost City Part 2

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 27: Lost City Part 2**

_In the gateroom…_

SG-1 was suiting up to go out. Colonel O'Neil had packed a variety of items, including wires, Hazmat suits, A naqaudah generator, and jumper cables. Weir looked at Colonel O'Neill funny.

"Well have you got everything you need? I think there is still a sink in the kitchen."

O'Neill looked up.

"Is that a joke?"

Weir smiled.

"Perhaps. A bad one."

"Yes very bad. But I sense hope for you."

Weir smiled as they walked through the gate with the various equipment to Chulak.

--

_On Chulak…_

Teal'c and Bra'tac were interviewing various Jaffa one at a time to find capable warriors and those that have ships. One young Jaffa warrior came in.

"I am Ronan."

Bra'tac nodded.

"I knew your father, Ronan."

Ronan nodded.

"I have a scout ship at my disposal. A Tel'tak. But I will only lend you it on one condition. I come with you."

Teal'c and Bratac looked at each other. Ronan spoke again.

"I am a fine pilot."

"So we have heard. You may join us."

Ronan nodded and went back to his ship with Teal'c and Bra'tac. They knew SG-1 was waiting by the gate. They had a lot of work to do.

--

_On Kauri…_

ChiYou was sitting at a mahogany table with some of Kauri's leaders. Since SG-1 left, he was busy building bridges with his people. He was dressed in his customary blood red armor. He addressed one of the Tok'ra.

"You are sure of this?"

The Tok'ra spoke.

"There is no doubt, Lord ChiYou. While Anubis uses the bulk of his fleet to fight the Alesians and the System Lords, he is taking a fleet of 50 Ha'taks to attack the Tauri. He will be there in two days."

ChiYou frowned.

"Prime Minister, will you aid me in defending the Tauri?"

The Prime Minister nodded.

"Yes, my Lord. I can send a dozen of our largest ships with 30 escorts to go with your flagship. They should hold off some of the forces with the aid of the Tauri."

"Then do so."

ChiYou stood up. He walked into another chamber where he activated the transport rings that sent him up to his Ha'tak, the flagshp _Hwangdi_.

--

_In hyperspace…_

SG-1 was sitting in the Tel'tak with Bra'tac and Ronan. They were heading to the planet that O'Neill had located. They hoped the lost city of the Ancients was located there. Bra'tac turned to SG-1.

"It will take us two days to get to the planet in question."

O'Neill muttered.

"Too slow."

He got up and strode in the back compartment where the control crystals and panels were located. He ran his hand along the side of the panel and it slid open for him. He rearranged the crystals and looked at Major Carter.

"Give me your zat."

Carter obeyed, handing him the Goa'uld weapon. The Zat'nikitel was shaped like a cobra with its head raised up, the weapon would stun a person with one shot, two shots would kill, a third shot would disintegrate a body. O'Neill pointed the zat at the control crystals of the hyperdrive. An electric charge shot out at the crystals, energizing them. Bra'tac was stunned as he called out.

"We are traveling much faster than expected. We will be there within a few hours."

O'Neill handed Carter back her zat and slid the panel back into the slot. She looked at the Colonel.

"Sir, General Hammond told me before he was relieved of command, that if the Ancient information overrode your brain, I was to take command of SG-1."

O'Neill nodded.

"Then take command now. I am struggling to stop speaking Ancient."

O'Neill turned and walked back into the cockpit of the small cargo ship. The next few hours will decide the fate of Earth.

_A few hours later…_

The Tel'tak arrived over Proclarush Taonas. The team looked out the window of the cockpit and shook their heads. Fire and lava could be clearly seen in orbit. Proclarush Taonas was volcanically active. The sun in the background was a red giant. They were a million years too late. Carter was the first to speak.

"I don't know about you guys, but I am sorta hoping this is not the location of the lost city."

Daniel thought.

"A million years ago, this planet probably looked like Earth. Over the course of time, it changed. Lost in fire…"

O'Neill walked up to the cockpit, unable to speak anything but a few words in Ancient. He silently glided over and patted Bra'tac on the shoulder. Bra'tac understood and got up from the pilot chair. O'Neill sat down and began to glide the small ship into the atmosphere. He stopped after a few minutes of piloting and hovered over a specific point. Ronan in the seat next to him scanned the area.

"There is nothing here but volcanic activity on the surface."

Daniel pointed at the display.

"What is that? It looks like a perfect sphere of rock."

Ronan scanned it and nodded.

"There is a small amount of energy present underneath that dome. I am detecting a set of rings."

Carter moved over and looked at the display herself.

"Yes, the dome seems to be where lava activity settled around a shield. The shield failed eventually, but the rock already hardened and shielded whatever is there from more volcanic activity. We will need to ring down. Now, the Colonel packed Hazmat suits, which suggests he already knew of the state of the planet. We will suit up and ring down. Bra'tac, hover the ship over the set of rings."

Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, Colonel O'Neill, and Samantha Carter all headed to the back of the cargo ship to suit up in the Hazmat suits. After a few moments, they were ready and stood within the transport rings. Bra'tac looked at the team.

"Good luck."

He pressed the correct combination of the hieroglyphs on the ring panel and the team ringed down into a dim, reddish tinged chamber. The atmosphere was highly toxic. SG-1 moved out from the rings into the small chamber's center. They walked along for a minute before a small platform materialized in front of them. On top of the raised dais stood an Ancient control chair. O'Neill sat down on the chair and manipulated the controls on the arms. As with the technology of the Alesians, Goa'uld, Wraith, and Ancients, it required thought concentration to power and control the devices. Only those with the Ancient gene could control Ancient technology. O'Neill thought and a small force field expanded from the chair as the dais and the chair lit up blue and white. O'Niell took off his Hazmat helmet and the rest of the team did the same, the atmosphere was now safe in their immediate area. A holographic image lit up. Carter looked at the image.

"That is the entire Milky Way Galaxy."

The image shifted. Carter recognized it.

"Hey, that is our solar system."

She pointed to the image. The image shifted to include a planet and a lunar satellite.

"Earth."

Teal'c frowned.

"That does not appear to be Earth."

Daniel looked at the image.

"It does not account for the millions of years of continental drift."

Carter looked at O'Neill.

"Why are we seeing this, sir?"

O'Neill looked at all of them.

"Terra Atlantis."

Daniel nodded.

"Terra means Earth. Atlantis…"

Carter was stunned.

"The lost city of Atlantis? That is just a myth!"

Daniel looked at the map.

"Apparently not."

O'Neill spoke again.

"Subar los isealos."

Daniel translated.

"Under the ice? You telling us that the lost city of the Ancients, Atlantis, is on Earth? Jack, we were just there! We came here just to go back?"

"No."

O'Neill put on his Hazmat helmet. The others did the same just as the shield was shut down. The chair also shut down as O'Neill moved to the edge of the dais. He moved his hand over one corner of the hexagonal shape and a Zero Point Module rose up and glowed yellow. He took it out and handed it to Carter. She looked at it.

"Power source. Bra'tac, we are done here. We are heading back to the rings."

"Understood."

There was a rumbling as some of the ceiling started to cave in. Daniel was disturbed.

"What was that?"

"Our ring in caused the dome to become unstable. We need to hurry back to the rings."

_Over the dome…_

Bra'tac got up out of his chair. He spoke to Ronan as he passed him.

"Pilot the vessel. I will see to the rings."

Ronan grabbed Bra'tac by the shoulder and thrusted a blade into his stomach. Bra'tac grunted in pain.

"I have been betrayed."

Ronan spoke fanatically.

"You are the betrayer! Of your one true god, Lord Anubis!"

He withdrew the knife from Bra'tac's stomach. Bra'tac fell on his knees in pain, breathing heavily.

"You should have struck for my heart, Ronan."

Ronan snorted in derision.

"You will die more slowly this way."

"You are incorrect. I no longer carry a symbiote!"

Bra'tac kicked out and caught Ronan behind the knee. Ronan fell to the ground as Bra'tac got up. They began to fight. Ronan slashed his knife across Bra'tac's cheek, sending him reeling into the wall bleeding.

"You are weak, old man!"

Bra'tac lashed out with a foot, hitting Ronan in the stomach. He punched Ronan in the head twice, then kicked Ronan's knife away. He then grabbed the younger Jaffa and pinned him against the wall. He pulled out his own knife.

"You are the younger, but not the wiser."

Bra'tac stabbed Ronan in the symbiote pouch, killing both the larva Goa'uld and Ronan. He let the body of Ronan drop. Stumbling to the control panel for the rings, he activated them to fall down to the ground. SG-1 was ringed up and they instantly headed over to the fallen Bra'tac. Bra'tac struggled to speak.

"Ronan was an….agent of Anubis."

Teal'c held him down.

"Remain still."

"It is over for me Teal'c."

"Nonsense."

"I die free, Teal'c."

O'Neill placed a hand on Bra'tac's stomach wound. He concentrated and the wounds started to heal instantly. Bra'tac breathed easier and he looked at O'Neill with amazement.

"You have healed me."

Carter spoke.

"How?"

Teal'c responded.

"O'Neill possesses the healing power of the Ancients."

Bra'tac got up and headed to the pilot's seat. Teal'c got in the other seat and the Tel'tak slipped into hyperspace, heading back to Earth.

--

_Over Earth…_

Three Ha'taks and several Al'kesh bombers exited hyperspace, they belonged to Lord

Anubis. They were the advance scouts of his fleet. In the White House, President Hayes and the Joint Chiefs were debating what to do with the new arrivals. Hayes was quiet as General Hammond spoke.

"Mr. President. I do not think we should send out Prometheus or Daedalus out yet. It will show Anubis that we do not have Ancient weapons if we send out our ships."

Hayes frowned. He held General Hammond in the highest respect, having served with him when they were both second lieutenants. Hammond was recalled by President Hayes not because of something he did wrong at the SGC, but Hayes needed him to run a new department called Homeworld Security. It included the budding space fleet of Earth, the SGC, and any operations associated with those programs, including Area 51. Hayes contemplated and then spoke.

"Agreed. We will hold them in reserve. For the moment, those ships have not moved. Anubis, from what the Tok'ra told us, is using the bulk of his fleet to hold off the Alesians and the System Lords while he attacks us here, before the System Lord Ha'taks can be delivered to Earth. He does not want us having a sizable space fleet, nor does he want us to gather Ancient weapons to use against him."

The phone beeped near one of the generals gathered in the Oval Office. He spoke into it a moment and then looked up in shock.

"Sir, the Nimitz carrier group in the South Pacific is under attack by the Ha'taks. I have the captain of one of the escort destroyers on the phone now. I wish to put it on speaker."

Hayes nodded and General Maynard pressed a button. Explosions were heard in the background as the captain of the destroyer spoke.

"The carrier just went up in flames! It is a fireball now! Damn! Where is all the fire coming from? We are losing our ships fast! We are attempting to…"

The sound cut off as the General looked up.

"The attack began three minutes ago, and that was only one Goa'uld mothership. The other two are holding back near the moon."

Hayes frowned. There was an Asgard ship on the other side of the moon, in stealth mode. It was their ace in the hole. They did not want to tip off Anubis. It was going to be interesting. He got up from behind his desk and began to pace the Oval Office, lost in thought. The lights flickered and then went out. A shimmering was seen as Anubis in his black cloak appeared. Everyone gasped in surprise as Secret Service ran into the room and opened fire with Uzis and pistols. Anubis stood there, impassive. General Maynard shouted.

"Hold your fire! It's a hologram!"

Anubis spread his hands out.

"I am Anubis."

President Hayes walked forward and looked into the cloaked face of Anubis directly.

"You must be kidding!"

Anubis lowered his hands.

"You are the leader of this world?"

"Henry Hayes, president of the United States of America. One nation among many."

"No more. Bow before your god."

Hayes laughed.

"I don't think so! However I am willing to discuss your surrender."

"If you possessed weapons matching mine, you would have used them by now."

"Don't let the suit fool you, fella. We're gonna fight you."

"You bring doom upon yourselves!"

"Never going to happen!"

Anubis' hologram suddenly shook violently, and Anubis nearly stumbled. Another hologram appeared next to Anubis, looking at the semi-ascended System Lord. It was ChiYou's hologram.

"Anubis, you dare to attack the Tauri? Your death will be long remembered as your folly!"

"I care not for your rantings, ChiYou. You cannot stop me, and neither can the Tauri!"

Hayes smiled

"Still wish to discuss your surrender?"

Anubis' hologram faded. ChiYou's hologram nodded his head to Hayes.

"President Hayes of United States of America, my apologies in being late."

"It is no problem, Lord ChiYou. We will be sending Daedalus and Prometheus to attack Anubis. How many ships do you have?"

"I have brought my flagship, a dozen of my people's largest warships, and nearly thirty smaller ships. However, I can safely say that we cannot defeat Anubis' fleet with what we have. I was hoping that your words actually held some backing."

Hayes shook his head.

"SG-1 believes the Lost City is on Earth, in Antarctica. We received a transmission from them. They will be here within the hour. I am sending Prometheus to cover them while they find the Lost City."

ChiYou nodded.

"Then it is good that I have delayed Anubis from jumping into hyperspace. My fleet will retreat to Earth's high orbit and meet what ships you have there to coordinate a joint defense."

_Over Earth…_

Several hyperspace windows formed and the Kauri ships and ChiYou's flagship HwangDi appeared over Earth. The ships moved into high orbit, firing upon the few scouts sent by Anubis. They positioned themselves over Antarctica while the single O'Neill class Asgard ship came out from behind the moon and moved in orbit. SG-1 moved out from hyperspace and entered the atmosphere over Antarctica. O'Neill was piloting over a location near where they found the second Stargate. A few minutes later, Anubis' fleet appeared, immediately firing on the defending fleet. The fleet consisted of 40 Ha'taks with one of Anubis's flagships. However, more hyperspace windows formed. A dozen more Ha'taks bearing marks of Osiris exited hyperspace and joined Anubis. While Osiris was not there, she and other Underlords sent their respect.

Daedalus immediately opened fire with her railguns and missiles. The ion laser the Alesians fitted on her fired, the laser draining the shields of the nearest Ha'tak. The nukes struck the shieldless Goa'uld ship and exploded in a fireball. The Kauri ships fired their own weapons, similar to Earth weapons such as missiles and railguns, but they also had energy weapons. Thin beams of green energy struck the Ha'taks, striking the shields. The Ha'taks fired their ordinary orange plasma cannons as well as several Protoss bolts at the Kauri ships. However, it was ChiYou's flagship that did the most damage. Sending a barrage of the blue colored Protoss energy weapon, ChiYou struck down four Ha'taks with ease. His Protoss weapon was much more powerful and refined than Anubis managed to replicate.

Then more hyperpspace windows formed, thirty more Ha'taks of the Underlords of Anubis appeared alongside another ten of Anubis' own ships. The Ha'taks fired ordinary Goa'uld weapons, along with bolts of Protoss weapons. While the Protoss weapons were not as good as that of Chiyou, there were more of them. The Kauri ships began to take casualties as they fought. Dedalus fired the Ion laser again, draining an upgraded Ha'tak shield. The shields failed as 2 nukes struck the Ha'tak, The explosion consumed the vessel along with 3 squadrons of gliders. Several Alkesh and many gliders headed down to the planet, hoping to attack the cargoship while the Prometheus launched its fighters. The small cruiser ship moved to directly cover SG-1 as they began to use the cargo rings to bore through a mile of ice to reach the lost city. Carter looked at Colonel O'Neill.

"Sir how long is this going to take?"

Teal'c frowned.

"Anubis could not have missed our arrival."

Bra'tac looked as the console beeped. He read the sensors.

"You are correct. Al'kesh and gliders approach. Many. They will be within firing range in 30 seconds. More ships approach from the opposite direction."

Carter turned to O'Neill.

"Sir, we are about to get our asses…."

"They are not Goa'uld."

Carter looked out. She saw the shape of Prometheus approaching them. Prometheus immediately fired railguns and missiles at the Al'kesh as the 8 F-302's attacked the gliders. Barrages of missiles, gunfire, and plasma fire rained everywhere as the battle in orbit waged on. The radio chirped.

"SG-1, this is Hammond. Do you read?"

Carter smiled.

"Yes sir, its good to see you. Let's go."

SG-1 ran to the back as O'Neill worked with the rings. The Tel'tak stopped boring through the ice as they prepared to ring down.

--

_Meanwhile in the SGC…_

In the gate room, Kinsey stands with Doctor Weir, completing some last paperwork as the Gate dials. Weir looked at Kinsey.

"Well I thought you were a lot of things and a coward wasn't one of them."

"I'm a pragmatist, Doctor. Besides, someone has to ensure the survival of the human race and the American way of life."

Kinsey finished writing on the pad and looks at Weir.

"By the way, if you survive, you're through."

At that moment the lights go out and the Gate stops dialling. Kinsey stares up at the Control Room.

"What the hell's going on?"

"We have lost main power."

Kinsey yelled in anger and with a little fright.

"Well get it back!"

Weir turned immediately to the special forces team near the Stargate.

"Manual Iris control. Close it now!"

One of the SF's opened a panel on the wall and pulled a level. The Iris closed just as the Iris activated. The Stargate began to spin.

"Unscheduled offworld activation!"

Kinsey spoke angrily to Dr. Weir.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Kinsey turned back to the control room and shouted.

"Open that iris and dial the Alpha site!"

The Stargate activated and an enormous explosion hit the protective metal Iris on the Stargate. The gate room rocked, but the Iris blocked the explosion between the event horizon and the metal barrier. The explosion disappated between the 3 microns of space afforded it. The technician reported.

"That was a nuke. Or worse."

Weir turned to Kinsey.

"Anubis has dialed in. You are not going anywhere."

She started to leave the gateroom but Kinsey grabbed her arm.

"You get me out of here, you hear me?"

The technician reported.

"Just received an encoded message from SG-1. It is not coming through the gate."

Kinsey shouted.

"I don't give a damn!"

Weir jerked her arm out of Kinsey's grip.

"Well I do!"

She ran out o the gate room. Kinsey followed her to her office. She listened to the report and then called the President on the red phone. Kinsey hovered nearby. Hayes answered.

"Dr. Weir?"

"Mr President, our ships can't win against an entire Goa'uld fleet but we need to buy more time for SG-1 to complete their mission."

Kinsey spoke as he walked closer to the phone.

"Mr President, that is downright insane. I am relieving Doctor Weir and taking command of this ..."

Weir shook her head.

"Sir, from what I've looked at ..."

Hayes interrupted.

"Will you shut the hell up?"

Weir looked shocked. She paused for a moment then recovered.

"I'm sorry sir."

"Not you, Doctor."

Kinsey looked startled.

"Excuse me?"

Hayes spoke over the phone.

"Consider your resignation accepted, Bob."

"You can't do that!"

"Oh please, I got enough on you to have you shot."

"This is the biggest mistake you will ever make!"

Hayes rolled his eyes.

"But I think I'll stick with my original thought, which is shut the hell up!"

Kinsey was furious.

"I promise you will only live to regret this!"

Hayes rolled his eyes again. He heard the door slam as Kinsey left the office in a fury. He spoke after a moment.

"Go ahead Doctor."

"Sir, I believe that SG-1and the lost city of the Ancients is the best hope to defeat Anubis."

"Agreed. I will be calling in the Asgard ship to buy more time."

--

_On Alesia…_

Amann was in session with the High Council as reports streamed in from all over the Empire. The war against Anubis was going well. Amann was smiling despite the weeks of strain as the reports indicated the war was going well. The Alesians were replacing their losses in ships and men relatively quickly as they geared for a full galactic war.

"Excellent. We will finish Anubis soon. Keep our shipyards and training camps at full capacity. We will launch a full offensive soon."

Amann turned as a Legionnaire walked in.

"Yes Commander?"

"Councilor, we have just received word from the Tok'ra. They had to send a cargo ship here, since they could not contact us by the Stargate."

Amann mused.

"Yes, we were attacked by Kull warriors on a few worlds. Our energy shields did not stop them from coming through. I ordered the gates to be temporarily shut down because of that. What news does the Tok'ra bring us?"

"Anubis has attacked Earth. The Terrans are putting up a fight, but they are losing."

Amann stood up.

"Send the 6th Fleet to defend Earth. It will take them about two hours to get there. Some of our ships are old. Slow hyperdrives. Go now. We must ensure Earth's survival. They are crucial to the war effort and they are our responsibility."

The commander looked confused.

"Sir?"

"The Terrans are the second evolution of humanity. While we disagree with many things in regards to the Ancients, we carry the mantle of the Ancients now, both their legacies and their mistakes. The Asgard were right in saying there is much to learn from the Earthlings. Send the ships."

The Legionnaire nodded as he left.

--

_Over Antarctica…_

O'Neill linked the naquadah generator to the Tel'tak's rings and SG-1 rings down into the ice below. They look around. It is dark. They turn on the lights mounted on their P90's as they look around in the small ice cavern. There are Ancient writings inside the iced walls, they entered into a larger chamber where a statis chamber stood. A doorway was open slightly to the right. They heard a small whoosh as they looked through the doorway with the lights on their P90's. They instantly pointed their weapons at the lone figure. Anubis stood right in front of the Ancient control chair that stood in the central chamber. He spread his hands apart.

"You are too late. The power of the Ancients is mine."

O'Neill smirked slightly and put his hand through Anubis.

"Fools!"

Anubis disappeared. It was only a hologram. O'Neill walked to the dais and opened up the power source. He took out the dead ZPM's and he held his hand out. Carter walked forward and handed him the glowing ZPM's as he placed it inside the slot. They saw the rings activate as 2 Kull warriors appeared in them. SG-1 instantly fired their Kull disrupter weapons as the Kulls rained plasma on the team. One of the Kulls fell as the other took cover and fired. SG-1 took position near the small enclosure and fired back. The rings activated as 2 more Kulls appeared. They hesitated a moment then fired.

_In orbit…_

Anubis stood on the bridge of his flagship. Hre'rak reported to him from the console.

"We are in range my Lord. The enemy ships are being distracted. There is a small Tauri ship near the Southern Pole with a Tel'tak. Al'kesh and gliders are engaging Tauri fighters."

"Fire on the Tauri ship."

The flagship rained down plasma fire and Protoss fire at the Prometheus. General Hammond sat on the small bridge of the ship as the shield flared. Walter reported from one of the consoles.

"All of the F-302's have expended their ordinance!"

General Hammond nodded.

"We can't take them back aboard. They will have to divert to McMurdo. Set a course for Anubis's mothership. The gliders will be dealt with by ChiYou's fighters."

The Prometheus shot up from the surface, closing the distance to Anubis's mothership as it rained fire down on the small Earth cruiser. Walter reported.

"Shields are failing! We can only take a few more hits."

A female technician reported.

"Weapons are expended."

Hammond immediately spoke.

"Stay on course. Ramming speed. If we go, they go as well."

The Prometheus darted toward Anubis's mothership, accelerating as it approached.

_Underneath the ice…_

SG-1 had killed 3 of the 4 Kull warriors, but the remaining one was pinning the team as it awaited reinforcements from orbit. Carter turned toward O'Neill.

"Sir, whatever you are going to do…"

O'Neill sat down in the control chair and immediately turned it to face up. He concentrated as a opening appeared in the floor. Squid like drones activated as they slowly began to leave their posts and head to the opening in the ice. A few dissolved the Kull warrior as thousands of yellow drones streaked up through the bored hole in the ice. They headed for Anubis's fleet. SG-1 ran from their covered positions to gather around O'Neill. His eyes were closed in concentration.

The drones streaked up and around Prometheus. General Hammond immediately ordered the ship to get clear as the allied fleets disengaged the Goa'uld fleet. The drones impacted into Anubis's mothership, starting to tear the ship apart. O'Neill opened his eyes and looked upward.

_Meanwhile…_

Hre'rak was thrown to the floor as the drones hit the ship, phasing in and out as they tore through the entire ship. He got up and shouted.

"Our shields are of no use!"

Anubis was looking out the window as he watched other drones hit his fleet. The Ha'taks were easily destroyed by the drones. A few drones headed for the window he was staring out of. He screamed in fury.

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!"

With a great explosion, Anubis's flagship was destroyed, along with all of his fleet. Most of the drones headed back down to the drone platform. The allied fleet was celebrating. One of the F-302 pilots was watching the destruction of Anubis's fleet. He shouted over the radio.

"Thousands of bright yellow…..I don't know what they are! They are coming from the surface! They are cutting the enemy fleet to shreds! My God! Its beautiful!"

Another F-302 pilot shouted in glee. The first pilot stared in wonderment as the explosions from the debris that was Anubis's fleet continued.

"They did it…SG-1 found the lost city. They found what they were looking for!"

Hammond even took joy in the celebration over the radio.

"That was SG-1!"

Down on the surface though, things were much more sober. O'Neill turned his head weakly. The control chair stopped glowing as the team stood in shock. They knew he was close to death from the repository of the Ancients. Carter was on the verge of tears.

"Jack…Jack?"

O'Neill opened his eyes and slowly got up. He headed for the wall, where an enclosed niche was present in the wall. He walked in the small niche and turned to face the team. He spoke in Ancient. Daniel translated quietly.

"Goodbye, my friends."

With a glow, the stasis pod activated. The team stood in shock as O'Neill was frozen, preserved until they could get the Ancient data out of his brain.

_To be continued…_


	28. Calm Before the Storm

**iGolden Dawn**

**Chapter 28: Calm Before the Storm**

A flash was seen over Earth as a powerful Alesian fleet exited hyperspace. The fleet consisted over well over 100 battleships. They were ready to do battle with the forces of Anubis. What they saw astounded them. All they saw was wreckage of Anubis's fleet and the defending fleet standing watch over Earth. The general in command of the fleet hailed the defending fleet and sent news back to Alesia. Amann grinned as he received the news with the rest of the council. He was one of the first to speak amid the cheers in the High Command.

"The war with Anubis is over. We will go to Earth and hail the valiant defenders of Earth. Together, we will form a lasting alliance between Earth, the empire of ChiYou, and the Alesian Empire. Come Galadriel. Let us go to Earth. Janilius, you will come with us. Demos will stay here with Taelira, oversee the expansion of the Empire. We will take several worlds that belonged to Anubis now, before the other System Lords move in. Send the appropriate fleets to secure the planets."

Everyone nodded. Amann, Galadriel, and Janilius beamed to the Angelan. After a moment, the Angelan and Galadriel moved out of orbit along with the rest of its escort fleet of 20 ships. They entered hyperspace, heading to Earth.

As they moved, Janilius smiled. Everyone was smiling, but if only they knew why Janilius was smiling, they would have killed him on the spot. Everything was going as planned for Janilius, and the fateful meeting with ChiYou on Earth itself would begin a set of events that would truly change the galaxy.

--

_In the SGC, a few weeks later..._

The conference table was crowded with officials and military personnel. The conference table was littered with various Earth foods. Chiyou was near the center of the table, holding a bageldog. He bit into it, savoring the taste of the bread and meat. It was good and hot, but something was artificial about it. Chiyou shrugged and reached for another one of thebite sized bageldogs. O'Neill was revived with the help of the Asgard and Alesians, the disrupter technology against the replicators being developed in the process. For the first time, the tide of war against the replicators had been turned in the Asgard's favor.

The wall was lined with the various banners of the gathering officials representing the various powers of the galaxy. An important Kauri official was talking with Sel'mak in the corner, deep in discussion about the future of the Tok'ra race. General Hammond and O'Neill were in full dress unform, talking with President Hayes and Thor about the galactic situation in regards to Earth's new territory.

The System Lords were due to arrive at any moment. Camulus, Yu, and Amateratsu were coming to represent the interests of the System Lords in this diplomatic summit. The Alesians were also due to arrive in a few moments as well. ChiYou liked the Earth food as he bit into a cheese quesodilla. Daniel Jackson, neat in his Armani suit, came up next to ChiYou holding a cup of Coca-Cola with two ice cubes floating.

"Hey, drink this with that. Everybody does it on Earth..."

Chiyou took the brown drink. It was cold as he drank. It was sweet, but the carbonated beverage took him by surprise.

"Interesting drink, Dr. Jackson. What is it called?"

"Coca-Cola... or Coke... But just call it... ummm... never mind. You want some more?"

"Certainly, Dr Jackson. I like it."

ChiYou refilled his glass and sipped it.

"So, Dr. Jackson, I hear the System Lords have not given up the promised worlds or fleet."

"Ah, yes. Well, their argument is that the ships and planets were to be given against Anubis, but with Anubis defeated, the treaty is 'void'."

Then Sam Carter came up to them in the fine-looking dress uniform. Chiyou growled.

"Excuses. An agreement is an agreement. Surely the planets and ships would not be returned if Anubis was defeated after they gave up the planets and ships."

"Well, our agreement was actually not contingent on fighting Anubis, but our mediation with the Alesians."

Jackson paused as Carter sipped the champagne and picked up a bageldog.

"I am sure they will somehow try to get out of the deal."

Chiyou shook his head.

"I do not like it. They should give up the planets and ships, even after the fact. I will pressure them to give up those worlds. I will rejoin the ranks of the System Lords to represent your interests and mine. It would be good for our interests if we could be represented in full."

Jackson nodded.

"Well, I am sure having the Alesians and the Asgard will be enough to convince them. The System Lords are not really expecting them here."

Sam looked around.

"By the way, we are moving the conference to the storage room where we signed the Protected Planets Treaty. We have us, Alesians, Asgard, Tok'ra and the Goa'uld, so... this table will be too crowded."

Chiyou saw Amann, Galadriel, Janilius and a half dozen Legionnaires beam into the corner of the room.

"I do not think they will be happy. Look who just arrived."

Hayes, Hammond and O'Neill looked around as Hammond explained who they were. Hayes only knew Amann, and the others were quite new to him. Hammond introduced the Alesians to the President. Amann made a gesture of peace and spoke.

"Galadriel, Janilius, and myself represent 3 of the 5 members of the Alesian Council. These others are my bodyguards."

Hammond introduced President Hayes.

"Lady and Gentlemen, it gives me a great pleasure to introduce President Hayes of the United States of America."

Galadriel inclined her head. Her voice was like music as she spoke.

"President Hayes, it is the honor of the Alesian High Council to meet you. Amann has spoken highly of you, and how you aided us during our recent civil war. We thank you."

"You are welcome, Councilor Galadriel. It was our pleasure to aid in whatever manner we could."

Janilius smirked.

"I expected you to be taller."

He grinned to show he was joking, but Hayes felt uneasy. The smile gave him the creeps. There was something sinister about the man, despite the charm. Political instinct was telling him this was a man to not be trusted. Hayes smiled, trying his best to put on what appeared to be genuine smile.

"Ah, well we can't all have advanced medical technology when we grow up."

The handshake was very short, but no one really noticed.

Amann smiled at the President. He respected the man from what he knew about him. His handshake was genuine in its sincerity.

"Well, I suppose you will have that technology soon enough, with our help of course."

Amann frowned and sniffed.

"What is that smell?"

ChiYou walked up to them.

"Bageldogs, Amann. Care for one?"

Amann walked up and took one.

"What is it?"

"I don't know... but it's Earth food..."

Amann bit into it.

"It is very good. Some sort of meat wrapped in breading I take it? It is tasty."

Amann turned back to Hayes.

"So when will the System Lords be here? I hear they are not too pleased with our errr......incursion into Anubis's territory."

Right then, the stargate began to whirl. Amann sensed the stargate moving and looked through the window at the Stargate below.

"Ah, that must be them. Good. I look forward to the typical threats and bluster of the Goa'uld. No offense to you, Chiyou."

Chiyou shrugged.

"I don't mind. I know I am not like them."

Amann grinned.

"Alot of powers are represented here. You know, I think the eagle banner is the prettiest of the lot."

Amann pointed to the banner of his own empire smiling widely. The banter was cut off as they entered the conference room. A large circular table was present, with room for all of the representatives of each major power in the galaxy. Amann sat down in the seat with the Alesian Eagle banner hanging on the wall behind him. Other delegates took their places and waited the arrival of the System Lords. The stargate opened, and after the code was transmitted, the iris opened. Four marines came through, followed by Yu, his First Prime Oshu, Amaterasu and Camulus stepped through.

Amann's guards stood at attention, their eyes watching the Jaffa. Amann's safety was paramount to them, and they did not like the Goa'uld in close proximity. The Goa'uld were quickly led to the conference room, and they sat down on the Goa'uld side of the multi-sided table. Then Thor beamed in.

Galadriel and Janilius sat down beside Amann, the three Alesians looked curiously at the Goa'uld, their expressions hard. By popular vote, Thor was elected the chairman of the meeting, since the Asgard had no real stakes in the meeting, and he spoke gently.

"Welcome to this meeting. We have four parties attempting to negotiate a sort of arrangement as well as the reaffirmation of previous treaties."

Amann raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed. There is much to discuss."

Lord Yu glared at the Alesian.

"You violated the treaty. You took several worlds of Anubis, that was a violation of our agreement."

Amann raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Which planet you refer to? Oh yes, the planets we liberated...."

Lord Yu was angered.

"Those worlds belong to the Goa'uld! You blatantly broke the treaty with your invasion of the Scion Sector! We demand the return of those planets immediately."

ChiYou snickered.

"I wonder if you are so interested in keeping the promise of the treaty, why haven't the Ha'taks and Alkesh been delivered, and why are the promised planets not been handed over to the Tauri?"

Amann smiled.

"That is why we took the planets. You made the treaty void by not giving the ships and planets to the Tauri. Alesia will not withdraw the legions until the planets and ships are given to the Tauri."

Camulus growled.

"Those particular clauses have become void. Anubis is dead, and since he is gone, there is no war for the Tauri to join."

Amann smirked coldly, sneering at the System Lord.

"The fleet and planets for war use only was not in the treaty. The ships and planets were to be given regardless of the war. You are trying to evade the clause and not pay the price for peace."

Amaterasu spoke in response.

"That point is moot. The System Lords cannot afford to be parted with ships or planets at this time. Perhaps if you would wait."

Selmak asked.

"Why are the System Lords unable to afford them?"

Yu nodded and Amaterasu answered.

"After Anubis was defeated by the Tauri's new defense system...

Camulus continued.

"We agreed to divide up the territories of Anubis equally. But one violated the agreement."

Daniel sighed.

"Let me guess..."

Amaterasu answered quickly.

"Ba'al."

O'Neill half cringed, as he didn't like Ba'al at all.

"Well, you guys should really have expected that of him."

Amann was surprised.

"Ba'al? Interesting....."

ChiYou chuckled.

"So he had some balls after all."

O'Neill snickered.

"Nice one."

Amann smirked.

"He is an annoying pest. I suppose we should....swat him perhaps? Depends. The System Lords I am not fond of for obvious reasons. You tried an invasion of our homeworld. We do not forget easily."

Weir spoke, as a diplomat, with certain degree of diplomatic language.

"I am sure everyone here understands that the situation has not greatly changed. Either Ba'al or Anubis, it would not really matter. The System Lords still need the support of us and the Alesians."

Yu frowned lightly.

"Then what do you suggest?"

Galadriel spoke up, her voice as beautiful as music.

"I suggest a tradeoff. We can withdraw from the recently taken planets if the System Lords honor their agreement, and also give up 5 more worlds of value to the Tauri as compensation."

Yu reluctantly nodded.

" the Tauri finally attack Ba'al rather than merely defending themselves? Ba'al knows that you have formidable defenses, and he will not make the same mistake as Anubis did."

Amann smirked.

"But we can trick Ba'al in attacking the new Tauri worlds, but what Ba'al wont know is they will have an Alesian defense grid. A small one as a token of friendship."

ChiYou shook his head.

"If what my Tok'ra have told me is true, then Ba'al will not touch the worlds given to Tauri in fear of fighting the Alesians and the Asgard. He may be a coward but he is smart."

Amann raised an eyebrow.

"You might be interested to know Ba'al has approached the Alesian Empire. He wants an alliance to conquer the galaxy."

ChiYou chuckled.

"As I said, he is a coward but he is smart enough to know who not to cross. He will stay clear out of our way until he is cornered."

Amann looked toward the System Lords.

"Which leaves us wondering what to do with you? The Tauri want their worlds after all. They earned it by taking care of Anubis."

Weir nodded.

"Yes. We want the worlds you have promised and the ships as well. You should know that we have already started in the process of completing a fleet of ships to fight Anubis when he attacked us. If we are to not have a target, I guess we will have to take what is ours and leave your fates into Ba'al's hands."

Amann tapped the table with an armored glove.

"And they will be assisted by us. Do not mistake our benevolence for timidness."

ChiYou tapped the table with his fingers.

"I agree. With our aid, the Tauri can certainly take their rightful place among the stars."

The System Lords paled slightly then Yu spoke after a deep breath.

"The System Lords will keep our words of the previous treaty. However, many of those planets are that of Ba'al's domain. You will have to liberate them."

Amann grinned.

"That violates the treaty somewhat. But I somehow get the feeling you won't object to our......confiscation of those worlds?"

The System Lords nodded. Amann thought for a moment

"Very well. We will attack Ba'al's planets and liberate them then. You will move against Ba'al as well."

Camulus answered vehemently.

"We are already under considerable assault from Ba'al. We have no choice but to fight."

"Then we will have to assault Ba'al. Very well. We will fight this war. ChiYou, how are your forces currently?"

ChiYou smiled.

"I have several million well trained soldiers and I have much more to offer."

The System Lords seemed alarmed at ChiYou's words but took them as exaggeration. Amann nodded.

"I have millions of Legionnaires standing by as well. Plus several Drow divisions. They are formidable fighters. A Drow in close combat can take down a fireteam of Alesians,"

ChiYou raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed... It would be most interesting to see how Ba'al deals with this."

Amann laughed.

"Deal? He won't deal with it at all. He will lose."

ChiYou nodded.

"Yes, but do not underestimate him. He has the technologies that Anubis possessed, including the Protoss disruptor weapon he stole from me when I first woke up. I had to activate the self-destruct of my pyramid when Anubis came for me."

Amann frowned.

"You got on your flagship and ran I take it?"

"I was forced to. I fired at his ships with the single disruptor turret but my power to so depleted that I could only destroy several ships before the weapon shut down. I had barely enough power for self-destruct."

"Understandable. I would have done the same in your place. Ba'al will not like Alesian Legionnaires hunting for him, I imagine. The Legions are very efficient."

Selmak spoke suddenly.

"It may not be as easy as you think, Lord Amann. The Tok'ra spies in Ba'al's ranks have informed us that Ba'al has come up with some new technology that he completed using the already advanced technology Anubis commanded."

Amann frowned.

"What sort of technology?"

Selmak answered carefully.

"We are not sure, but Ba'al has boasted to his new Underlords that this new technology would allow his fleet to fight against the Alesian fleets on equal terms."

ChiYou asked curiously.

"Who is serving Ba'al?"

"Zipacna, Tanith and others are serving Ba'al, but Osiris has gone missing... with most of her fleet and armies."

"It could be a bluff you know. Goa'uld are prone to bluffing. Ba'al is smart enough to try a ploy."

The System Lords weren't flattered by that, but ChiYou took Tok'ra's warning rather seriously.

"Tell us more, Selmak."

"Well, we know that Ba'al has merged some shielding technology he already possessed with Anubis' shields. There are few others but we were not able to find the details."

Amann frowned.

"This could be a problem. I say attack him with everything we got and flatten him."

ChiYou was about to say something about how the Alesians were probably not ready for it, but decided not to voice it in front of the System Lords.

"I will aid you along with the Tauri, 'when' their fleet is ready."

After all, Tauri needed time and so did ChiYou.

"We can harry and raid Ba'al while you prepare. That will keep him offbalance for a while"

O'Neill nodded hesitantly.

"I don't mind attacking Ba'al, but we need more time, Amann."

ChiYou agreed.

"Yes. So do I. Perhaps my taking the place in the System Lord council will allow some pressure on Ba'al enough to halt his attacks on the System Lords. That way we can buy more time."

Amann frowned. He was very suspicious of this sudden desire to rejoin the system Lords.

"Well......maybe."

ChiYou narrowed his eyes.

"That was in the original treaty, Amann. There is no maybe."

Amann nodded, but his gaze grew cold.

"Very well. Take your place among them."

ChiYou glared at Amann.

"Is there some issue on that, Amann?"

Amann coolly looked at ChiYou.

"No. None at all."

O'Niell cleared his throat.

"Perhaps we need an adjourn? For an hour? To calm down?"

Amann breathed hard.

"Perhaps you are right...."

ChiYou nodded, and the Tauri's allies gracefully exited the conference room. Amann and Galadriel went into a room with Janilius. Amann bursted out in anger.

"Damn Chiyou. I really don't trust him now, especially with his desire to join the System Lords. Something he professes to hate."

Janilius attempted to dissuade Amann.

"I am sure that it doesn't mean anything serious, Amann. It is not like he is our enemy and trying to rally the System Lords against us."

Amann looked directly into his face.

"Janilius, I like you, but sometimes you believe in too much good. Can you say you really trust him? Why, you were even shocked when I offered an alliance with him!"

Janilius continued tp attempt some sort of peace between Amann and ChiYou, at least in appearance.

"That was before, Amann. He has been a good friend even during the 'brief' time he was with us."

Amann calmed down.

"Very well. But I will be watching him."

Janilius smiled and patted Amann on the shoulder.

"I am sure this tension is nothing more than nerves, Amann. Just pay it no mind. Just because he has weapons and technology that can possibly match ours does not automatically make him a threat. Also, I am not sure if his word of millions of soldiers is anything but bluff against the System Lords."

Amann shook his head.

"His technology is formidable. And I am not sure if he is bluffing. We have to be careful Councilor."

Janilius seemed to get worried.

"What do you mean not bluffing? He has witnessed our Legionnaires. He knows that there are no soldiers in the galaxy that can match our might. Where would he get so many soldiers?"

Amann thought a moment.

"I do not know, but I sense he was not bluffing. I can only read his expressions, not his mind. His mind is powerful."

Janilius frowned.

"Surely you can penetrate the blocks of a Goa'uld. He cannot be that powerful. Afterall, you are our most powerful individual, Amann. He cannot stand against your might or the might of our empire. If he stands against us, then he must also be destroyed... but for now, he is our friend."

Amann raised an eyebrow.

"Possible, but he would know if I tried. He is very powerful Janilius, he is almost at ascended level of mentalics."

Janilius chuckled.

"You jest too much, Amann. Surely, he poses no real threat to us? If something happens, you can fight him."

Amann smiled.

"Perhaps you are right Janilius. Let us go back in. He will ally with us or he will die. Either way, we win."

Meanwhile, ChiYou, Selmak and the Earth people gathered. O'Neill was furious.

"What was that? Were we not meant to show unified front against the System Lords?"

ChiYou bowed his head in apology.

"My apologies, O'Neill. However, the insinuations in Amann's eyes could not be let go unchallenged."

O'Neill raised an eyebrow.

"Explain?"

"He was obviously thinking that I was joining the System Lords because I wanted to. Yet, he does not understand that it is for the good of us all."

O'Neill frowned.

"Well, you have to admit, it is hard to earn their trust. The Alesians have been fighting the Goa'uld almost since your race rose to power. Perhaps you should talk with Amann?"

ChIYou nodded.

"I will admit that my joining the System Lords cannot sit well with any of us, including my children, the Tok'ra, but it must be so as to subtly control the System Lords against attacking the Tauri."

O'Neill tapped the desk.

"Go and talk with Amann. Make him see reason."

Selmak came up to them.

"There is no time. Though you have said an hour, the System Lords are not patient right now. Their armies and fleets are helpless without their command. Such is their such dependence that the Jaffa have grown over the years. Jaffa can rarely think on their own when it comes to any large scale battle."

O'Neill frowned.

"Let us deal with them, and then ChiYou can go talk with Amann afterward."

They all nodded, and headed back to the conference room. Amann had his back turned to them, Galadriel was standing close with him, in deep conversation. Janilius had sat down and stared as the desk, in deep thought. The System Lords returned also, and once Thor as back, the meeting resumed.

Galadriel sent feelings of calm toward her brother Amann, who was still deeply angered. Amann was able to hide it well however and he spoke.

"Very well, are we agreed that the ships and planets are to be given to the Tauri?"

The System Lords nodded.

"Yes, on the condition that the Tauri take a more active role in the war against Ba'al."

The Earth delegates nodded.

Galadriel spoke.

"Is there anything else in regards to the Alesian Empire. Besides our protection of those worlds and our war effort against Ba'al, we do not gain much here. We are shedding our blood for others here."

The System Lords paused for a moment and discussed among themrselves. Amaterasu spoke.

"We thought that the honor of having ChiYou welcomed back to the High Council of the System Lords, thereby providing you with a representative of the still most powerful political arena was reward enough."

Amann gritted his teeth. Galadriel soothed his mind and he replied with much less heat than he was going to.

"Very well. I can see how this would be an honor for you. But we would also like certain....concessions. No territory or anything. Just.....trading rights for raw materials.....within your domain without interference from you."

System Lords whispered among themselves then Yu answered.

"Up to three planets of each System Lord will be designated Trading Planets, as was our dealings with other advanced races that used to inhabit this galaxy."

"Very well. You will find a most useful ally in us. I suggest you do not betray us. We will not be so....easy if it happens again. We still remember the battle of Alesia, Lord Yu."

The System Lords reluctantly nodded. Then Camulus turned to face ChiYou.

"The System Lords will meet again to discuss our war against Ba'al in two weeks. The meeting will still be held in Hassara system at the Hassara Space Station."

Amann raised an eyebrow.

"Will I be able to send a representative? As an observer?"

Yu raised an interested eyebrow as he looked between ChiYou and Amann.

"We thought ChiYou will represent both the Tauri and the Alesians."

ChiYou briefly sent a glare at Amann, and Galadriel, O'Neill and Jackson also gave Amann a harsh look. Amann chose his next words carefully.

"He will....speak for us. But I would still like an observer. He does not even need to speak. Just watch."

Camulus frowned but nodded while Amaterasu shook her head. The vote fell into Lord Yu's hands. Yu reluctantly nodded.

"Very well. Instead of a Lotar, ChiYou will bring with him this 'Observer'."

Amann inclined his head.

"Good. Now, I think you should get back to your fleets. I know the command structure without you is rather.....fragile."

The System Lords glared but they nodded their heads and stood up. Amann stood up as well.

"To victory."

The System Lords left the conference room, and O'Neill and Galadriel were the first to stand up and glare at Amann. Galadriel spoke first.

"Amann, I do not understand what just happened. You and I both know that showing any sign of internal conflict is not a good tactic against the Goa'uld."

Amann looked at his sister coldly.

"I do understand that. But Alesian blood is being shed for everyone else. I would like to see our empire gain something out of it. The Tauri are getting fleets and dozens of worlds. ChiYou is rebuilding an empire of his own. And we weaken ourselves for them. For what? Sure we kill an enemy, but we do the heavy work and gain little."

Janilius stood up just as O'Neill was trying to speak, cutting off the Colonel.

"Of course, Amann. We understand your concern, but that was hardly the time. Especially with ChiYou right there with you trading suspicious glances. This was not good for us either, Amann."

Weir, ever the diplomat, diffused the situation.

"Councilor Amann, we understand your point of view, and it will be taken into consideration as we prepare ChiYou for this meeting of System Lords. May I ask who would be the observer to the meeting?"

"I am going to send Commander Cestus. He is the one who spied on your base."

O'Neill finally spoke.

"You really messed it up, and that's all you gotta say? Sure, I understand that you feel a bit neglected, but that was hardly the time for it."

Weir stopped O'Neill from going on.

"Please, Colonel, do not make this worse. Please, everyone, the meeting is over and let's not stay in this room any longer."

Amann got up and turned in anger, walking out of the room before he lost his temper. Galadriel followed him, knowing he would need her to calm him down.

ChiYou turned to O'Neill.

"You still want me to talk to him?"

"I would say so. Ease the tension somewhat, ChiYou. We don't want the Alesians to pull out of the war in fustration."

ChiYou cringed.

"That would be bad, at least until the Tauri can protect yourselves. Very well, I will talk to him."

"Amann is probably in the quarters down the hall. Check there for him"

ChiYou nodded and walked away. O'Neill sighed and turned back to Weir, Jackson and Selmak/Jacob.

"Well, that's that."

Weir nodded.

"That was close, colonel. If that had gone longer we would have lost our advantages in negotiations."

--

Amann was in the quarters pacing in a white faced fury of rage. Galadriel was sitting at the table in their quarters.

"Amann, calm down. I am sure there is no need for alarm."

"You have no idea Galadriel! No idea! Chiyou is going to rejoin the System Lords! I tell you, I don't trust him!"

Someone knocked on the door, and when Galadriel opened it, ChiYou was standing there. Amann stopped cold at the sight of the Goa'uld warrior. Galadriel smiled and greeted ChiYou.

"Welcome, Lord ChiYou."

ChiYou greeted her back.

"Thank you, Lady Galadriel."

Amann turned away, he had nothing to say with the System Lord, he was still angered and it showed. ChiYou looked at Amann.

"I feel your distrust Amann, and I am here to assure you that I will not abuse this. I am joining the System Lords' council in name only. I have no vote there."

Amann turned toward him.

"I hope you are correct. I remember well the invasion of Alesia."

ChiYou smiled, thinking that some sort of peace was back between them.

"I will not allow that to happen if I can help it. How else can I assure you of my friendship to the Alesians? Ah, I shall open a great celebration on my capital world of Kauri in three weeks time. Attend and let me proclaim our alliance in front of all my people."

Amann thought for a moment.

"Very well. I will bring some veteran Legions to parade for your people, sealing the alliance. Let us not mistrust each other again."

He held out his hand. ChiYou took the hand and shook it. Galadriel watched it with a smile, but Janilius, who was just quietly standing to the side, was smiling with a very large grin. Everything was going according to plan.


	29. Descent Into The Abyss

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 29: Descent Into The Abyss**

Sam, Daniel and Teal'c stood at the foot of the ramp, with other military personnel ranged across the floor in the control room. Elizabeth Weir walks up to the podium at the top of the ramp.

"Although my time here has been brief, it has been without a doubt indelible. I will remember every one of you, and I thank you all for your hard work. I'm not one for long goodbyes, so without further ado it is with great pleasure I introduce you to your new commanding officer, Brigadier General Jack O'Neill."

The side door opened and Jack, in his new uniform, walked in. Everyone comes to attention. Jack walks up the ramp to the podium as Elizabeth walks down to stand with the rest of SG-1. He spoke after a moment.

"At ease. You all know how much I love speeches, so I'll make this short. I wish I could say I didn't owe anything to anyone, but the truth is I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't for the courage and support of each and every one of you. I hope I can be as good a leader as we have had in the past, and as good as you deserve."

Daniel spoke up.

"Hear, hear!"

He started to clap his hands. After a moment, everyone else started clapping. O'Neill smiled slightly.

"The other reason I took this job was so I could do really cool stuff like this…"

He cleared his throat.

"It is with great pride that my first order of business as commander of this base is the announcement of the promotion of Major Samantha Carter to Lieutenant Colonel."

Sam looked surprised as she walked up the ramp. O'Neill pinned the new insignia on her collar after removing the major rank. Walter began to read the commendation.

"The President of the United States has placed special trust and confidence in the patriotism, integrity and abilities of Major Samantha Carter. Major Samantha Carter is hereby promoted to the grade of Lieutenant Colonel, United States Air Force."

O'Neill and Carter saluted each other and O'Neill smirked slightly.

"Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter."

The crowd applauded. After a moment, O'Neill spoke again.

"Now, raise your right hand (she does so) and repeat after me: I, insert name."

"I, Samantha Carter ..."

-----

_Later on…_

The newly promoted Colonel Carter, the new leader of SG-1 pointed at the screen on the wall as General O'Neill, Teal'c, Daniel Jackson, Anise from the Tok'ra, and Colonels Griff and Reynolds in command of SG-2 and SG-3 were peering at a monitor in the conference room.

The screen showed a rough outline shape of the Milky Way galaxy, with several dots around it, including one bright blue dot marked 'Earth'. When Carter pressed a button on the remote, the galaxy was filled with various shaded shapes in blue, red, yellow, green and purple. Carter pointed the laser dot at the Earth.

"This is Earth, and the blue shades areas and other blue dots are our territories. Specifically, the blue dots are ours, and the blue shaded areas or blue flashing dots are the planets and systems given to us by the System Lords. Since our defeat of Anubis, we claimed many of these worlds, including Chulak."

O'Niell looked at the map.

"Interesting.....that is alot of dots."

"Yes, general. Even I was rather surprised to discover that we have over a hundred planets under our territory, including the planets under the Protected Planets Treaty, and the independent worlds such as Jonas' homeworld, plus our own bases and the planets gained from the System Lords."

Teal'c frowned.

"What are the other colors represented here?"

"The green areas around the edges of the galaxy are the areas confirmed to be Alesian territory. They do not contain a high concentration of star systems, but it is a large area. The purple areas are isolated or independent planets left alone or forgotten by the Goa'uld. This includes ChiYou's territory here."

Carter pointed a small cluster of star systems.

Teal'c looked at the territories.

"Alesian territory is large, hard for them to defend. ChiYou's territory is compact and easy to defend and reinforce key points. If it was not for the might of the Alesian fleet and armies, it would prove nearly impossible to defend."

O'Neill took a look as well.

"Carter, what is the red and yellow?"

"Sir, the red area is... was the former territory of Anubis, plus Ba'al's own domain, since Ba'al has taken over Anubis' domain. Though it is still smaller than the yellow, which is the domain of the System Lords. You will notice the various fragments within the System Lords' domain. These flashing white dots inside the red zone is the worlds that System Lords gave us, but still in the control of Ba'al."

Daniel spoke.

"Ba'al refuses to give those worlds up, I take it?"

Anise answered that.

"No. He is adamant that the Tauri will never get those worlds. He has proclaimed to the System Lords, through a messenger, that he would rather obliterate those worlds than give to the Tauri. The messenger was slain in front of the System Lords at Lord ChiYou's own hands."

O'Neill raised an eyebrow.

"Obviously Chiyou is unfamiliar with "Don't shoot the messenger.""

Anise answered that with unflinching expression.

"I do not believe he did it out of pleasure or anger, but as theatrics for the System Lords. They must continue to fear Lord ChiYou for his voice to be influential."

O'Neill frowned.

"Interesting. But isn't Ba'al trying to fight the Alesian invasion of his domain? We might see control of those worlds relatively soon."

Carter winced slightly.

"As ChiYou has predicted, Alesian attacks were precise but few. They are maintaining the appearance of a powerful military force, but it is the System Lords who are still fighting the main war. Here is the projection of war with current Alesian contribution."

The time tag of '1 month' appeared at the top of the screen and as the time passed to '12 months', the red area was reduced to 2/3 the original size. Carter spoke again.

"This projection was made with every bit of information we have. Now, here is what would happen if the Alesians withdrew now."

The time tag and territories reset, and when it reached '12 months', the System Lords were almost all vanquished, with a mere 1/5 of their territory remaining.

O'Neill whistled.

"So the Alesians are key to the whole war effort for now?"

Anise shook her head.

"Not quite. We have added another factor in this projection. We deemed that the Alesians will maintain the current level of intervention, which is slow, so we have added the Tauri's intervention at '6 months'."

Carter pressed a button. The time tag reset, and it appeared similar to the first projection, but at '6 months', the speed of red area being reduced began to get faster. At '12 months', the red area was reduced to 1/10 the size plus tiny pockets scattered around the galaxy.

O'Neill smirked.

"So Ba'al gets most of his territory taken. Excellent!"

Daniel frowned. Something tickled his inner sense.

"What about if the Alesians withdrew at '6 months' when we begin to fight Ba'al?"

Anise and Carter looked startled. Carter cleared her throat.

"We did prepare a projection for that too."

At first the red areas became reduced, but at '6 months' the rate slowed, then at '8 months', it stopped. From the '10 months', the red began to regain some of its former territories but lose others, creating a stalemate.

Reynolds nodded.

"A stalemate..."

Anise nodded.

"Precisely. It would be a problem if the Alesians pulled out of the alliance."

O'Neill put on a serious face.

"Then let's not have the Alesians pull out while we develop more things for ourselves. Carter, how is our fleet construction going?"

Carter put on a chart on the screen, which showed names of nearly 12 ships, with various bars showing their completion.

"Of the 11 ships we have in construction, the five Prometheus Variants are nearly 80% complete and will be ready for test flight within fifty days. As for the six Daedalus Variants, they are at 60% completion, with another 60 to 90 days of work to be done. However, we do have two upgraded Daedalus we have been building previously, which are going to be ready in less that 20 days, sir."

"Is there any projection of how many ships we will be able to contribute in 6 months when we are supposed to jump in?"

"We have plans for another 3 Prometheus Variants and 4 Daedalus Variants by that period, general. However, the main problem is the raw resources and personnel. We have dismantled two Ha'taks to build the 11 ships, but we need more resources. The mining planets will produce satisfactory amount within a month. The System Lords decided to remove all of their mining equipments from the planets."

"Convenient."

O'Neill remarked dryly.

Daniel chuckled.

"Well, that's the System Lords for you."

Carter smiled at that too, then continued.

"As for the other Ha'taks, we have begun the upgrades at Alpha site. They will be ready for combat in 30 days."

O'Neill smirked.

"Very good. The sooner Ba'al is dead, the sooner I am glad."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed."

Daniel spoke.

"Hey, anyone remember when we are supposed to arrive for that celebration on ChiYou's planet?"

Anise answered.

"Two weeks in Tauri measurement of time."

"Oh..."

O'Neill raised an eyebrow.

"I want cake! No celebration is good without cake."

-----

_Two weeks later...._

The planet was brimming with celebratory mood. Every man, woman and child came out with their most colorful traditional garbs and came out into the streets and the numerous local parks around the cities. The return of their God King ChiYou, and other celebrations all boosted the morale of the people. Billions of people came out to celebrate, and watch their God King return to his rightful throne. The actual celebration would be a couple of hours later, but all the pre-celebration shows were reaching their peaks.

A flash was seen over the planet as a fleet of 30 Alesian warships jumped out of hyperspace. They were the escort fleet for the AES Angelan, the flagship of Amann himself. A jumper was dispatched down to the planet as a sign of formality. After a moment, the Jumper was cleared for arrival.

The Kauri Defense Fleet, despite their technological disadvantage, were numerous and well disciplined. Positioned in strategic locations all around the system, they kept a vigilant eye on any threat on this glorious day. As the Jumper came down through a secured air-traffic passage that had been cleared of local traffic, the Stargate opened, allowing the delegation from the Tok'ra, including High Councilors Garshaw and Persus. Then the Tauri followed them. General O'Neill, Colonel Carter, Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c arrived escorting General Hammond and Richard Woolsey, the newly appointed liaison from the newly created IOA.

The Jumper landed on the planet with Amann embarking with General Ayen and 4 bodyguards of the Alesian 1st Legion. The Alesian High Councilor was in formal armor today, the gold eagle of the Alesian Empire was shining as he was escorted off the platform.

The Tok'ra/Tauri delegation and the Alesian delegation were quickly transported on a comfortable air shuttle to where Selmak, wearing a similar red armor as ChiYou's own, was waiting for them. Selmak greeted them all.

"Welcome all to Kauri, the homeworld of Lord ChiYou!"

Amann greeted Selmak.

"I greet you in the name of the mighty and powerful Alesian Empire. May an era of peace descend upon our two peoples!"

Selmak nodded graciously and turned to the Tok'ra and the Tauri.

"Welcome, Tok'ra. Lord ChiYou asked if the Tok'ra would wear the traditional armored garbs of his household. He considers us his children, and part of his house."

The Tok'ra paused for a moment as they whispered among themselves, then Persus nodded. They were led away by a Kauri official. Selmak then turned to the Tauri. Jacob spoke.

"George, Jack... welcome! Dr Jackson, Teal'c, we are honored to have you with us... And... Sam! How are you, kid?"

"I'm fine, dad!"

Amann looked between them.

"I have brought a number of selected Legions to take part in a parade. A show of our might and friendship toward the new alliance. I have 20 Legions total."

Selmak returned.

"20 Legions? How many men is that exactly?"

Amann answered.

"About 100 thousand or so. A Legion is 5000 men. Except for the Alesian 1st Legion. They are 15,000 men and my personal bodyguards. So I will have 110,000 Legionnaires marching in the parade."

Selmak paled.

"Over a hundred thousand? Our preparation was for no more than ten thousand. I must discuss this with Lord ChiYou."

Selmak's head went down for a second. When it rose up again, it was Jacob who spoke.

"Selmak worries too much. Now, if you would all follow me, I will take you to the palace."

Amann and General Ayen followed. Janilius was beamed down a few minutes later near Amann's signal.

"Councilor! I am sorry for being late! My ship was having hyperdrive problems."

Amann waved.

"No need, you are right on time for the celebration to start in a few hours."

Amann smiled.

"I think you will find the Legions I have selected most impressive. I have brought the Alesian 1st Legion, the High Council's bodyguards. The Eagle's Talons. I have also brought the Alesian 8th Legion, the Death Blades. Also present is the 105th Legion, the Dark Angels."

-----

The main celebration and the feast was held about four hours later, allowing the guests to experience the advanced cultural life on Kauri's main city. Daniel Jackson visited the museums, libraries and bookstores, while Teal'c visited martial arts 'dojos'. The two Generals were taken to the military HQ to be shown around. Colonel Carter went to the science department and to the largest department store in ChiYou's domain.

Janilius walked around the capital city, smiling as he did so. The Kauri people looked at him and couldn't help but feel at ease with the charming Alesian Councilor, but little did they know he was planning their destruction. Nanites began to disperse from Janilius's robes as he walked around, admiring the sight. It was soon to be improved by fire.

-----

The parade and the celebratory feast were magnificent. Hundreds of thousands of people sat around huge tables all around the massive central park, and ate and drank. They enjoyed their celebrations with full heart. The guests enjoyed themselves as well. The mood alone was enough to mend some of the hostilities between Amann and ChiYou. ChiYou raised his cup of rice wine.

"May the alliance between all of us be forever-lasting!"

Amann raised his own drink.

"To the Alliance!"

They all cheered. The Tok'ra seemed relaxed wearing the red armor. It was a long time since they had this kind of celebration. The Earth delegates enjoyed themselves as well, drinking and dining with ease.

-----

The fleet above the planet was given plenty of drinks and food as well. Though they did not lose their vigilance, they enjoyed their meals and watched the celebration on the screens. The Alesian ships were no different as the Alesian Legionnaires enjoyed the hospitality of their hosts. The Angelan was the hub of the Alesian feast, as the captains all joined at the large mess to toast to the alliance. Suddenly, an alarm rang, and the captains of the Alesian ships were quickly recalled to their ships. Legate Belar, the temporary commander of the Angelan and the best fleet commander and ship captain in the Alesian empire, quickly beamed to the bridge. He quickly spoke to the Operations officer.

"What is it, Centurion?"

"Sir we are picking up 9 signals, closing fast on the planet."

"What is it?"

"Unknown configuration. Reading Protoss technology and energy signatures. Sir, they are arming weapons!"

"What? Raise shields and alert the fleet! Recall our delegation. Emergency beam out!"

With a flash, Amann disappeared from the celebration with Janilius and Ayen. He was still holding a drink.

"What is going on?"

"All Legionnaires, report to Battle Stations. This is not a drill. Repeat, All Legionnaires, report to Battle Stations."

The alarm sounded as the Legionnaires ran along the length of the ship to get to their stations. Amann was not amused.

"Legate Belar, report!"

The Legate looked at the screen.

"We are detecting NINE... nine Protoss weapons signatures and they are aiming for the Angelan."

Then the Operations officer reported again.

"We are detecting more signatures. Fourteen more Protoss weapons signatures targeting the fleet. The Kauri ships are turning toward us!"

Amann was stunned.

"What? Hail them! Tell them there is a fleet inbound targeting our ships! Tell them to turn their sensors toward the incoming ships!"

The communications officer reported in panic.

"Sir, we are being jammed. We cannot confirm the source of the jam. It could be either external or internal!"

Amann was quick to action.

"Arm weapons! Set drones to target inbound fleet. Do not fire unless fired upon. This has to be some misunderstanding."

Suddenly, ChiYou's face appeared on the main screen.

"Amann, what is the meaning of this? Leaving so suddenly during a middle of a toast? My people are telling me that your ships have raised shields, armed and targeted weapons at my fleet. Explain yourself!"

"Chiyou! There is a fleet inbound with Protoss weaponry. They are targeting us! Can't your ships read the incoming fleet?"

"What is this foolishness? We detect nothing but your naked aggression. Stand down, and I will order my fleet to back down."

Amann glared at Chiyou.

"I will not risk my people, Chiyou. We will not fire unless fired upon. You have my word. But I cannot lower my shields."

There was a slight buzz in the screen and ChiYou's face seemed to darken suddenly. Amann didn't notice it under such pressure, and did not see a momentary smirk on Janilius' face.

"You dare to threaten my people? You will feel my wrath!"

The sentence seemed a bit odd but under the circumstances, Amann really didn't notice the quick change in the tone. The Weapons Officer reported in alarm.

"Sir, we are detecting twenty seven more Protoss weapons signatures. The Kauri ships are powering their weapons!"

Amann was thinking hard. The events were too sudden, too quick for him to think properly. Finally he spoke.

"It is a bluff. It just has to be a bluff. Concentrate on the incoming fleet and wait for them to fire. When they do, destroy them."

Amann walked to the center of the bridge and sat in the control chair.

Though no one had noticed it, nine shimmering shapes orbited in the low planetary orbit, within the atmosphere. Then they fired blue pulsed weapons at the Alesian ships, and the sudden attack slammed into the Alesian shields, draining unexpectedly large percentage from the lower ships and causing even the Angelan to shudder lightly. The weapons officer reported.

"Sir the Kauri defense systems are firing at us! They are draining our shields!"

Amann roared in anger.

"Lock beam weapons and ion cannons on those defense platforms! Ready drones for deployment! Fire!"

"Unable to specify the targets, sir."

"What? How is that possible? Lock onto the energy signatures!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Alesian ships fired their ion cannons, beam weapons and Drones at the planet, tracking the signals planted by Janilius. Unfortunately, Janilius had walked the common streets and shopping malls, schools and hospitals, and the Alesian weapons rained down on the helpless structures.

The Alesian beam weapons punched holes in the crust of the planet, releasing large amounts of lava across the planet, causing even more damage as the weapons impacted. Hundreds of thousands were dead within a few moments as the Alesian weapons fired on the hundreds of "defense turrets" across the planet, all faked by Janilius.

-----

ChiYou roared as the stunned guests at the banquet witnessed the rain of fire from the Alesian ships. At a single command, the Tok'ra and Tauri delegations were teleported, under guard, to the Stargate for extraction while he beamed into his flagship to assess the fleet command. ChiYou roared at the new Kauri crew now on board.

"Report!"

"The Alesians have fired on the planet! They have destroyed much of the planet with their bombardment. The casualties are reported to be in the millions so far."

"Damn that traitor!"

Then he turned around, and saw an Alesian banner next to the Tok'ra, Asgard and Tauri flags. Roaring with rage, ChiYou reached forth with his strange hand devices and shredded the flag. He growled in anger as the shredded bits were engulfed in flames.

"I shall burn Amann to cinders!"

"Yes, my lord! The Defense Fleet is moving to engage!"

That brought ChiYou's cool battlefield logic back into play.

"No! Damn it! Decloak and raise shield. We go into battle. Our ships are not strong enough to challenge their fleet. We must save as many ships for evacuation!"

"Yes, my lord!"

"Order the ships not in the battle to begin evacuation!"

"As ordered, my lord!"

-----

Amann swore as the Kauri ships began to fire at his fleet.

"Sir, there are more Protoss weapons signatures on the surface! Hundreds of them! They are ready to fire! Targeting our fleet!"

Amann frowned.

"No….no no no….this has to be some mistake."

The weapons officer reported again.

"Sir, a Ha'tak is decloaking. It is ChiYou's flagship!"

Amann pondered for a moment, stricken at last by the realization.

"Chiyou.....has betrayed me.....he means to kill us all! Burn it! Burn the planet! We need to destroy the cannons. Fire all weapons! Bomb it!"

Amann looked at the screen. He whispered half to himself.

"I reached forth my hand.....and he stabbed me in the back. It was him all along manipulating the Empire with those ships. He….he is responsible for my wife's death. He knew it! And.....and he betrayed me!"

Janilius quickly attempted to dissuade Amann.

"This could all be some third party's trick, Amann. We know too many enemies who would benefit from a feud between us and ChiYou."

Amann roared in a fury and pounded the armrest of the chair he was sitting in. The Weapons Officer reported

"Sir, the Ha'tak is powering its weapons!"

Amann glowered at the ship. He was being driven into a grief stricken rage.

"Burn it. Burn it all! Burn the planet and their fleet! Destroy them. Kill them all! All of them! NO MERCY!"

Janilius appeared to be shocked by Amann's blind rage and attempted to calm him down, and everyone saw his genuine attempt. Amann snarled and threw off Janilius. He roared at him, driven half mad with grief and rage.

"Leave me! Kill the traitors!"

---

Chiyou was calm as he began to assess the battle while his ship powered up. Looking around for the command console, the ancient Goa'uld moved to contact his commanders. The face of one of his admirals came on the screen.

"My lord! The Alesians are firing down with everything they got. We just lost eighty two ships blocking the attacks!"

ChiYou roared.

"Betrayer! Damn you to Sokar's pit! AHHH!"

The Ha'tak activated at ChiYou's command. It raised the shield quickly, and fired a stream of powerful Protoss weapons at the nearest Alesian ship, easily draining the Alesian shield. ChiYou's weapons were the real deal, and it fired powerful pulses and beams of blue eating away at the enormously powerful Alesian shields. Though the Kauri weapons were weak, they began to exploit what weakness was presented in the Alesian shields and struck the hull of the weakened ships.

Amann glowered.

"Chiyou! That damn parasite! Set course for his mothership. Kill it! Burn his planet to the ground!"

The powerful Ha'tak-Protoss hybrid ship began to power up more of its weapon systems. Four more turrets opened fire upon the Alesian ships including two bright blue beams and three missile launchers that fired stubby short missiles that impacted upon the Alesian ships with great impact. The Drones intercepted about half of the missiles and other half homed into the Alesians.

The Angelan fired 3 beam weapons at the Ha'tak hybrid ship, the rapid firing Ion cannons firing blue bolt after blue bolt into the shields of the enemy ship. Drones began to lance out, taking the time to divert into a group of Kauri ships, destroying them instantly in a massive fireball.

ChiYou's ship was powerful, its shield impenetrable as long as the shield emitter and the power source as secure. The harmonized plasma shield simply absorbed the Alesian attacks including the Drones, which slammed into the plasma shield, causing dozens of flares.

Amann gritted his teeth.

"Legionnaire! Why is that shield holding against drones and everything the Angelan is throwing at it?"

"I do not know, sir. The technology is foreign to us and seems to work on a totally different principle. We are concentrating our fire on that ship."

The ship shook as one of the missiles slammed into the shield.

"Direct hit! Shield is down by approximately 0.98%"

Another Legionnaire quickly spoke.

"Councilor, if we are hit by numerous missiles, then we may have a problem."

Amann snarled.

"Very well. Have the main fleet target the Protoss cannons. We will deal with Chiyou's ship. Maintain fire."

ChiYou's ship moved around, firing at the smaller Alesian ships. The powerful narrow beams seared through the shield with deadly accuracy, though the Alesian shield reduced most of the firepower. On the other hand, the pulse weapons were less accurate but pounded on the shields. One of the Alesian ships' shield buckled as the powerful Protoss weapon struck it down. Then as the ship's shield failed, the Protoss beam weapon seared off chunks of the Alesian ship, causing dozens of large explosions.

The Angelan pursued the Ha'tak, pounding the ship of Chiyou with deadly bursts from its guns. Any Kauri ship that got in the way was ripped apart by the firepower of the 8 km long destroyer.

The Angelan shuddered as ChiYou turned his weapons on the Alesian flagship. The two flagship moved toward each other, ignoring everything else. Constant streams of pulses and beams were exchanged. The enormous reserves of raw shield strength of the Alesian ship held against the Protoss weapons while the advanced and strange plasma shield on ChiYou's ship even withstood the waves of drones.

Amann snarled.

"Damn that traitor Chiyou! Die!"

The Angelan shuddered as the two ships fired furiously at each other. The Angelan's shield failed a moment before ChiYou's own shield did, and the two began to fire at optimum range, the weapons striking and exploding on the tough hulls of the flagships. Even inside the ships, sparks flew everywhere, and the hull armor buckled under pressure. Amann growled as the armors of the various warships shone red with fire. The ships continued to exchange broadsides with each other, blowing out great chunks out of each other.

"Fire beam weapons! Target their bridge!"

It was lucky that ChiYou's ship was of much older construction and had been inactive for so long. The Tok'ra Lord's flagship weakened as a single ring transporter activated just as fifty or so escape pods were launched. Before Amann could feel the joy of victory, the old Ha'tak headed straight for Angelan with full ramming speed.

The AES Nova, an old Aurora class ship, ran full speed at the Ha'tak, trying to intercept it. With an almighty crash and explosion, the Nova rammed the Ha'tak a mere 4 kilometers from the Angelan, showering the Angelan with debris. It caused the Alesian destroyer even more damage, but it was operational still.

Then the shockwave of the Ha'tak's Khydarin crystal core impacted all the ships around the battle, shutting down any ships not protected by their shield. With half the ships on both side disabled, the Alesians had the advantage over the technologically inferior Kauri ships. Amann smiled grimly at the results as the Angelan systems were rebooted and became nominally operational.

"They are weak. Attack them! Burn everything!"

The remaining Alesian ships began to fire at the Kauri warships, the ships falling easily to the advanced weapons of the Alesians. Beam weapons made short work of the capital ships while Ion cannons and drones took out medium ships and fighters. After a few moments, Ayen came up to Amann with a report.

"I have confirmed it. ChiYou has escaped through the Astria Porta. The rest of the Kauri's numerous ships are evacuating as many people as possible."

Amann snarled.

"Damn it! Burn this world as an example to the rest of the alliance. Treachery will not be tolerated."

Janilius quickly came up behind Amann.

"That is too much, Amann! They are civilians! ChiYou has fled!"

Amann turned and glowered.

"I don't care! Chiyou tried everything in his power to stab us in the back. He made sure he tried his best to destroy us and our people. If he had his way, he would see us all dead down to the last child. This world will be made an example! Burn it! That is an order!"

Amann pointed a finger at Ayen. Ayen nodded stiffly.

"Very well, Councilor. But I must protest this action."

"Such is your discretion, but for now, you will follow orders!"

Ayen gave the order. The Alesian fleet blasted aside the remnants of the Kauri defense fleet and let loose with all their might. They fired everything into the planet, ion cannon bolts impacted the buildings, destroying entire blocks of the cities as beam cannons punched holes in the crust of the planet. Thousands of glowing bluish white balls descended into the atmosphere, the antimatter nukes blowing up a few thousand feet over the major cities. Death was everywhere as billions of lives were being extinguished within minutes of the bombardment.

The Alesians swept the planet clean with their weapons, precisely hitting their targets as the world was bathed in a firestorm which has not been seen since its fiery birth. Any shield resistance was targeting with beam weapons. Amann stood on the bridge of the Angelan as the remaining Alesian fleet of 25 warships continued to wipe out all life on the planet. Amann's face was twisted in a rage.

"Such is the fate of all traitors that stab Alesia in the back."

He turned toward General Ayen.

"General Ayen, announce the treachery of what has transpired here and broadcast it everywhere. Accompany the broadcast with a warning that if any of our allies decide to betray us, this is what awaits them too."

Amann turned away from the general and watched Kauri burn on the view screen. The other side of the planet was also feeling the devastation as the smokes and tremors travelled through the atmosphere and planet crust. With a grim satisfaction, Amann ordered the fleet to return to Alesia, leaving behind a ruined and devastated planet. Out of the 26 billion inhabitants of Kauri, only 1 billion survived the bombardment of the planet. This day would later be noted as the Great Burn in Kauri history. Two days later, from a undisclosed location, the Tok'ra declared the Alesian Empire an enemy of the Tok'ra.


	30. Aftermath

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 30: Aftermath**

With a flash, Amann's fleet exited over Alesia, trailing along several damaged ships from the recent battle over Kauri. Amann was in his quarters onboard the Angelan when they arrived. He was one of the first to teleport down to the Alesian High Command building. He was about to enter his quarters inside the massive command structure when a voice rang out.

"Amann!"

Amann turned to find Galadriel walking toward him in her white robe.

"Yes Galadriel, what is it?"

"We need to talk. Now."

Galadriel took him to the side. Her normally calm voice was quiet, deadly quiet.

"What have you done! Have you... Have you lost your mind?"

Amann frowned as he entered his quarters with her following closely behind him. He turned to face her.

"I do not know what you mean Galadriel."

Galadriel walked forward suddenly and slapped him across the face with her hand. Amann cried out in surprise and held his cheek from the blow. She shrieked at him, pointing a finger

"You just wiped out over 25 billion innocents! What have you done! This is a crime that... not even your position can protect you from! You better have a real good justification for this slaughter!"

Amann growled and glared at her.

"They betrayed us! They were about to fire! Surely you saw the sensor logs just as well as I did!"

"What are you talking about? My ship didn't sense anything! We didn't get attacked! The battle started the moment you fired upon the planet!"

Amann snarled.

"Maybe there is something wrong with your ship's sensors then! I have the sensor logs on my ship in orbit. Right now! If I had not fired, we would all be dead and the Empire would be leaderless without the Council! You should be thanking me for my initiative in this matter!"

Galadriel closed her eyes and nearly put her hands on her ears to stop hearing this madness.

"I talked to three other captains. They detected nothing!"

Amann started pacing, highly agitated.

"It was ChiYou all along! He betrayed us! It was him who started it all! The civil war....the current battles we are in now....Lucia's death! I know it was him! This latest betrayal just confirms it!"

"What madness is this? Just... just shut up! You are not making any sense. Go see a medical professional... now! I... I got to lie down... this is crazy..."

Then she turned around.

"Do you have any idea what you have done? You just turned everyone in the galaxy against us!"

Amann started yelling.

"I know what I have done! I did what I had to do for Alesia! Thanks to my actions, I now have vengeance for our people! Lucia is avenged!"

Amann slammed his fist in anger on the high table as he stopped pacing. He was angered.

"Now her soul can finally rest since ChiYou knows what it is like to lose someone or something he cares about! And now I will find him and kill him! She is avenged! Now my own sister turns on me! WHY? WHY DO YOU TURN ON ME?"

Galadriel looked at her twin brother, her look showed disbelief.

"Turn on you? Listen to yourself! I am going to get someone to take you to medical..."

Amann screamed at her as he pointed an armored finger directly at her.

"NO! Don't you even think about it! I'm warning you...."

Galadriel turned around, sheer fury on her face that even Amann, enraged as he was, flinched.

"Warning me? You dare? I have led our people as long as you have, and I have watched it. I hold the title of the Sentinel! I am the Warden of the Alesian Empire. You 'warn' me?"

Amann growled.

"And I have played the role of protector of our people! You might tend domestic matters, but I have guarded against the many external threats to the Empire! And I have ended the threat that is ChiYou!"

"Threat? Did you look at his fleet? They couldn't even get past our shields! What threat? They had one ship that could deal any damage to us, and yet you act as if he brought the Ori upon our door! Get a grip!"

Amann started pacing again.

"You have no idea what it is like! No idea! He was a danger to us! You saw his manipulations as clearly as I did! I do not understand you! He killed Lucia! He would see us all dead!"

Galadriel's fury continued to rise in her face.

"Listen to yourself, Amann. I give you one last chance to get a hold of yourself. He did not kill Lucia nor was he a danger. He was our ally! Damn it!"

Amann looked at her in white faced fury.

"Or you will what? I cannot believe you would turn on me like this! I told you my reservations before and now look what he has done! He killed her! He killed my wife and he means to kill all of us! ALL OF US! I WILL HAVE VENGEANCE!"

He approached her in a fury, pointing a finger in utter hatred at her.

"And you….don't try to stop me!"

With fury in her eyes, Galadriel slammed her mental powers at Amann, intending to knock him out so she could get him to the infirmary.

Amann roared in fury and blasted at her with his own power. Galadriel raised her mental shield and it glared gold as his blue ascended energy was absorbed by the shield. He streamed it in, trying to overwhelm her shield with sheer power. But she was stronger than he was as his power was drained. Then she struck back. Galadriel's power encircled Amann like vine around old walls, then she squeezed.

Amann screamed as he tried to defend with his remaining power, but without the concentration he needed, his shield collapsed and her power hit him full force. He slammed into the wall, stunned.

Galadriel sighed as she slumped to the ground, exhausted. Then from nowhere, a bolt of dark energy shot forth and pierced her chest. She let out a little scream, and she fell. With flapping sound of cloaks and a short pop that indicated teleportation, three Drow jumped down from the ceiling, their eyes warily searching for the hidden attacker. They were guardians of Galadriel, and they just failed in their duty. Suddenly, another dark bolt struck one of the guardians, obliterating the Drow male. Panicking a bit, the remaining guardians took Galadriel and teleported out, leaving bits of dead Drow and Galadriel's blood behind.

After a few moments, Amann regained consciousness, having collapsed against the wall. His back was leaned against the wall, his head hung forward. His mind was a shambles from the attack on his mind and the grief that overtook him. He started weeping as the black anger and grief came in waves. He looked at his hand, his eyes out of focus. He whispered to the room.

"Lucia…..you are avenged, but at a terrible price. I did what I had to do, but at what cost? My allies, my own sister…..all turned against me."

Tears ran down his cheek as he sobbed into his hands. After a few moments, Amann wiped his face as some of his self control returned, the insanity fit starting to lift somewhat. He noticed the bits of Drow and Galadriel's blood on the floor. He crawled over and examined it. He looked toward the door.

"What have I done? Did I kill her? I couldn't have....She was alive! She overpowered me…."

He roared in pain from it all, howling as he pounded the floor with his armored fists. A beep was at the door. Amann hastily got up and straightened his robe and armor out.

"Come!"

Janilius rushed in with several Legionnaires.

"Amann are you okay? What happened? We felt a psychic tremor…"

Amann breathed in deep and his posture straightened.

"I am fine. It seems one of the Drow guardians are dead. I do not know who killed him."

Janilius frowned.

"Let's look at the recording..."

Amann nodded.

"Yes....go on."

He walked to the terminal and pressed a few keys. The recording started to play back and showed Amann and Galadriel arguing. Janilius frowned.

"Councilor?"

Amann waved him off.

"Ignore it. My sister and I have our disagreements sometimes."

The recording showed Amann being thrown into the wall and Galadriel standing over him. Suddenly the dark bolt of energy hit her in the chest and she fell back. The Drow Guardians jumped in and the dark bolt struck the male Drow as well. The recording panned to show a red armored figure standing in the doorway. The armor had the mark of ChiYou on it. Amann was in a furious rage as he frothed at the mouth.

"Chiyou! So he tried to kill her and me as well did he? I will rip him to pieces!"

Janilius pleaded with him again.

"Please Amann. I feel this is some sort of trick!"

Amann roared as he pointed to the Legionnaires.

"Find that assassin! I want him dead! GO! NOW!"

The Legionnaires backed away, fearing their leader's wrath as they scrambled out of the room. Janilius stood silent as Amann looked at him. Amann turned toward him in rage and irritation.

"What Janilius? What?"

"Are you sure about this? How did the assassin come here? I feel this is a trick... of some sort."

"I am sure! And what about Galadriel? The recording somehow missed her when the sensors turned toward the assassin."

"I... I am uncertain... This will lead a war that we cannot imagine. ChiYou is a close ally to the Tauri and to the Asgard."

"And when we show them the proof of his treason? They will ally with us! Don't you see? He is trying to kill us all! Once a Goa'uld, always a Goa'uld. The truth is on our side, not theirs!"

"Are you sure?"

Then with a flash of sudden sparks, the console exploded, erasing the recording and showering Amann and Janilius with shrapnel. Janilius fell wounded and unconscious. Amann snarled in anger.

"More of his trickery! I will kill him myself!"

He ran out of the room, half mad with rage as he stumbled in the hallway, his eyes burning with bloodlust as he deployed his plasma blades. He ran through the hallways, roaring curses. Janilius opened his eyes for a moment, and smiled.

--

_On Earth…_

The alarm rang through the SGC as the unscheduled gate activation triggered the blaring alarm. Chief Master Sergeant Harriman quickly spoke through his microphone.

"Unscheduled gate activation. All defense teams to the gateroom!"

With the guns pointed at the gate, and the iris closed, the gate activated. After a moment, the SG-1's Red Code signal came through. The iris opened with haste as the generals and the rest of the Earth and Tok'ra delegation came through.

O'Neill ran through with the rest of SG-1.

"Close the Iris as soon as the rest of the delegations are through! Everyone to briefing room now!"

He walked to the briefing room on the 3rd level with the rest of the delegations following close behind. After a few moments, General O'Neill, Colonel Carter, Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c arrived escorting General Hammond and Richard Woolsey.

As soon as sat down, they all asked the same question aloud.

"What just happened?"

Then there was an awkward silence. Selmak, still in his red armor, shook his head.

"I... don't believe this. The Alesians wouldn't betray us like this... We have done nothing, and Amann was there laughing with us... then..."

Carter continued.

"He was beamed up and then the Alesians started firing on the planet."

The Tok'ra High Councilor Persus spoke with concern.

"What happened to our Great Father?"

Daniel frowned.

"Great Father?"

"Yes, our Lord ChiYou. He must be safe. He has the knowledge and power to finally end the Goa'uld dominion and revive the Tok'ra from extinction."

Garshaw frowned too.

"If he was on the planet when the bombardment...He can't be..."

Daniel spoke.

"He might still be alive. The question is, why did the Alesians fire on the planet?"

Hammond nodded.

"That's the real question I want the answer to. Jack, I thought this alliance was solid."

"Yes, sir...I thought so too."

Persus replied.

"I know the Tok'ra will not view this betrayal lightly. I know the Tok'ra will declare the Alesian Empire an enemy of the Tok'ra."

Garshaw nodded.

"We will try our best to find Lord ChiYou and ensure his safety while doing everything in our power to attack the Alesians. This was a clear violation of our alliance treaty between the Alesians and us all, and can we count on the Tauri for support?"

O'Neill winced and spoke.

"Look, let's not get ahead of ourselves shall we? We don't even know what really happened."

Selmak spoke.

"You are cautious. That is understandable. However, the Tok'ra will want vengeance for this act of betrayal. But perhaps there is another explanation that has eluded us."

Teal'c was frowning. He was angered at the slaughter of innocents, which reminded him of his past serving under Apophis.

"What else could there be? The Alesians have slaughtered tens of millions within moments. Knowing that Kauri vessels are no match for their technology, the Alesians would most likely have killed a lot more innocents."

Daniel spoke next.

"We don't know what happened exactly. The Alesians might have felt threatened by something else and reacted. Perhaps they were misled by something into thinking they were under attack?"

Persus growled.

"What could that be? Kauri was in full celebration mood, and even half of the fleet was on deactivation. There was nothing threatening enough to warrant such large scale bombardment."

Garshaw stood up.

"I must go to the Tok'ra base to alert the rest of us of this development. This is grave news, and we must send a ship to investigate this."

O'Neill and Hammond nodded. Hammond spoke.

"We will also conduct our own investigation. We are going to contact the Alesians and demand an explanation."

Selmak nodded.

"Yes, let's hear what everyone has to say..."

Then with a flash of white beam, an Asgard appeared.

Greetings."

It was a voice never heard before. This was an Asgard they have never me beforet. O'Neill waved his hand lightly.

"Hello..."

The Asgard looked at O'Neill.

"I am Mimir, the High Councilor of Asgard Intergalactic Diplomacy."

Daniel looked surprised.

"You are Mimir? I thought your head was carried around by Odin..."

Mimir looked at Daniel.

"Our former Supreme High Councillor Odin carried the portable holographic communication device directly linked to my quarters. The primitives often thought my voice coming through the device as my severed head talking."

Daniel nodded thoughtfully.

"That would explain much. But why are you here?"

"I was commanded by the Supreme Commander Thor to attend the celebration on Kauri, the homeworld of our old ally, ChiYou. However, when I got there, the planet was a smoldering ruin, with less then ten thousand survivors. I have transported them to my ship, but I must return to the Ida galaxy to report this. Do you have somewhere to relocate 9342 people?"

Hammond spoke.

"We do have several worlds. Perhaps one of them might be suitable."

"Very good. I must report to the Asgard High Council that our cooperative effort with ChiYou to find a solution to our cloning problem must be halted until we know where ChiYou is."

O'Neill frowned.

"You mean until you know if he is alive."

"No. We already know he is alive. He has left his lifesign beacon with us. It is still very much active."

The collective sigh of relief could be heard coming from the Tok'ra delegates.

Hammond spoke again.

"What will the Asgard do in regards to the Alesians?"

"We cannot be certain of any facts as yet, though my findings suggest that the planet was attacked without provocation. It is possible, given the long standing relationships we had with ChiYou, and our already delicate relations with the Alesians, that it may come to a war that the Asgard do not want. We will take time to investigate all these issues first before we make any decisions."

O'Neill winced.

"This is going to be ugly."

--

_On Alesia…_

Janilius walked in one of the Alesian buildings, guarded by two masked Legionnaires. He walked down the dark corridor, leaving the two to stand guard. Entering one of the rooms down the corridor, he spoke into the total darkness in the room.

"Well, it is done. Galadriel has gone into hiding."

The darkness chuckled.

"Good. Now Amann is separated from the last of his allies. He will only have to rely on you as his only ally."

"I still would have prefered her dead, but..."

"Wounded is fine too."

Another man appeared beside the darkness. It was Sunaj, another incarnation of Janus. Janilius chuckled.

"Yes... true."

Janus chuckled as he formed into himself.

"Galadriel was his closest ally and she will not surface for some time. This gives us total control over Amann. He will be all alone. Demos and Taelira will no longer have any influence over him. Only Janilius will."

Janilius smiled.

"With ChiYou gone... for a while anyway. How long do you think it will take him to muster enough forces?"

Janus chuckled.

"A few months, a year at most. I would say 5 to 6 months. He is burning with vengeance. And Amann is also blinded by his hatred. His wife's murder is framed on ChiYou and he will stop at nothing to destroy ChiYou now."

Sunaj nodded.

"How shall I deal with Anubis and Ba'al? I have been keeping them back from a total assault on the System Lords, but even my talks cannot hold it too long. We need the Tauri in the war..."

Janus nodded in agreement.

"I will talk to the Tauri. Without the Alesians, they will be forced to deal with Anubis by themselves. This will distract them enough."

Janus spoke grimly.

"Once the Tauri are occupied in the war agains the Goa'uld, I want you to make sure that the inevitable war between ChiYou and Amann to be as catastrophic as possible."

Janilius smiled.

"It will be. Amann is isolated and trapped into the war. And it will only end in the destruction of both sides."

Sunaj looked at Janus.

"We are tracking ChiYou, right? We do not want to miss his secret factory planets."

"We are. Rest assured, all is going to plan. Go now and oversee the final preperations."

Janilius raised his hand to pause the parting.

"We forgot one thing. We have been separated far too long. Our thoughts are becoming our own now. We must merge."

Janus nodded and all three people merged into the darkness of the room. After a moment they reformed. The darkness chuckled.

"Satisfactory?"

"We are."

Sunaj nodded too.

"Yes, we are... once more... us."

--

_In an undisclosed location..._

ChiYou stumbled out from the Stargate, his armor still dusty and steaming. Growling, and with eyes glowing with rage, he purposefully walked into the nearby bush. The trees were neatly grown, despite the 'intentionally' guised looks. They were hologram, and ChiYou knowing so, walked through the trees to a small metallic circle. Standing on it, he pressed the button on his hand device.

The ring platform instantly sent him to the other side of the planet, where he was staring at an incredible flat grassland as far as the eyes can see. Not even pausing to admire such wonders, ChiYou pressed his hand device once more. With a shimmer, nearly 90% of the field disappeared as the vast holographic field shut off. Delved nearly twenty meters underground, the vast artificial valley contained hundreds of buildings. The ring platform once more transported him, this time into the centre of the compound. The only building with offices within its structure, the Command Centre automatically turned on its lights as its master returned so many centuries after he had this place constructed.

ChiYou came out of the building only a few minutes later, leaving behind the factories and cloning labs returning to work after so many years under the care of automated caretakers. The hologram reactivated once more, protecting it. ChiYou headed to the Stargate, dialing another address of another secret factory world. Then something beeped inside his armor. He took out a small Tok'ra encrypted audio communication device. It beeped once more. ChiYou clicked it.

"What is it?"

"Lord, ChiYou? You are indeed alive! It is good news!"

"I have no time for idle chat. Who is addressing me?"

"Ah, the Tok'ra High Council wishes to speak to you, my lord."

"Let them talk to me then..."

ChiYou held the communication device up to his face.

"Go ahead."

"This is Persus of the Tok'ra High Council. Are you alright?"

"I am fine. What is the situation?"

"Kauri is leveled, my Lord. There are only 10,000 survivors left. They are being transported to one of the Tauri's planets. One billion of the citizens were evacuated by the remnants of the Kauri Defense Force to other planets."

Chiyou gripped the communicator.

"25 billion people....dead.....dead....dead.....dead! I will have my vengeance on the Alesians. I will make them pay in blood for this! I will be in contact. Right now, I got a war to plan and organize."

Chiyou disconnected the transmission and walked through the Stargate to another of his factory worlds. The red storm of the war god was approaching.

_To be continued…_


	31. Preparations

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 31: Preparations**

Galadriel clutched her chest in the dark underground caverns of the Drow capital city, her blood splattering down the front of her white robe. She was badly wounded as Drow Healers tended to her, patching the hole left by the strange burst of dark energy. The Healers worked fast, since the wound was hard to heal by virtue of the energy used. Nickolideia glided in and asked the nearest Healer, who was frantically trying to stop the bleeding.

"Will she live? Is she alright?"

"I do not know, High Queen! She is severely damaged and this wound is unlike anything I have experienced. Please, let me work and I will do my best! Healer, give me some medical cloth! We need to stem the bleeding!"

Nickolideia looked as if she wanted to reply, but knew the Healer made sense. She turned to leave and waited outside, the lanterns and phosphorus glow crystals illuminating the dark caverns and corridors of the Drow city. The sound of banging metal was heard as several young Drow warriors practiced fighting near a bonfire. It was their initiation ritual to becoming full fledged warriors. Nickolideia watched them, her mind focused on other matters. The events of the past few days were disturbing to say the least.

_Several hours later…_

Galadriel turned in her sleep, troubled by dark dreams of destruction and death. Finally, she sat up quickly, fully awake and thrown from the nightmare. Sweat was pouring down her face and her golden hair was disheveled. She mopped her head with a cloth that was laying on the small table. She also spotted a glass of water and downed the whole glass with a gulp as she gasped for air, the dream having shocked her to no end. A voice echoed from the shadows of the small but dimly lit room.

"Are you ok?"

Galadriel turned quickly, not having been aware of the presence of another person.

"Yes I think. Who goes there?"

"It is me, Nickolideia."

A small, phosphoric light source sprang from the Drow Queen's hands as she placed it on the table next to the chair she sat in. The Drow Queen appeared tired as she rubbed her eyes. Galadriel smiled in relief as she saw who it was.

"Good, good."

"You seem relieved."

Galadriel pushed some of her long golden hair out of her face, which was starting to stick to her face.

"I am. I am unsure who to trust anymore. My brother has gone mad!"

Galadriel then launched into the events of what happened at Kauri and the resulting argument between Amann and herself. She also talked about the attack by the dark entity afterward. Nickolideia paused before she spoke next.

"I have heard some reports of that, but I do not believe Amann's madness was a natural one."

Galadriel frowned and then slowly nodded.

"As if he was pushed into it."

The Drow Queen nodded.

"Exactly."

Galadriel looked at her intently.

"But why? Who?"

The Drow Queen sighed.

"I do not know. I suspected a plot some months ago, after the Alesian Civil War. Some things just do not add up. For instance, those soldiers that were protecting Ramius and Kelus? Mere energy shells as it turned out. The bombardment of Alesia by captains loyal to Amann who swore that Amann ordered them to start firing when it was not the case? More things that do not add up. This whole puzzle does not make sense."

Galadriel nodded.

"And with Amann having gone insane with rage and grief, you suspect the plot has continued beyond that of the civil war."

"Exactly. And I suspect that the key instigator and conspirator is an outside power trying to influence the Empire from within. For example, the energy required to power those energy shells protecting Ramius and Kelus? To create one energy shell requires a pretty advanced skill level. To create an army of them requires a being of massive power. Very few on Alesia could have done it, and most of them are on the Alesian High Council and maybe a few of the most powerful Alesian Generals and Lower Council members. And it seems none of them would have anything to gain from it. So this being comes from outside the Empire and tries to weaken and shake things up from within it. But why?"

The Drow Queen got up, shaking her long white hair behind her. She was, like her daughter, wearing only armored pants and a metal bra. She started pacing in front of Galadriel's bed. Galadriel remained silent as Nickolideia continued.

"What may be the motive of an outside entity to do all these things? Control of the Empire? Perhaps. Or maybe an enemy that wants to see the Empire weakened before some unknown outside force attacks us. This new enemy we know nothing about. It might even be an old enemy, I cannot be sure. What is certain is that this enemy is clever, has labored a long time for this plot to mature and grow, and is certainly no friend or ally of ours. It tried to kill you, drive Amann into a fit, and has caused the civil war on Alesia itself. I also believe it to be behind the events of what transpired at Kauri. I managed to have one of the Drow spies infiltrate and steal the sensor logs from the AES Angelan. They do confirm what Amann said to you regarding the attacking ships. You said your ship did not detect the ships, but the logs on the Angelan show the sensors did. I believe your ship's sensors were jammed, by internal pass code. Unfortunately the logs that contained that code were deleted, so we have no way of knowing who was able to jam the sensors. I have only bought in a few people that I trust completely on what I have learned. Only a few people know that you are here and still alive. Everyone on the surface, including Amann, believes you are dead. The Drow have given the High Council a cloned body that is dead."

Galadriel frowned.

"I see. Would it not be better for me to reveal I am alive to Amann?"

Nickolideia shook her head.

"No. You are more useful in secret. You would become a target of this entity if you were discovered to be alive."

A trace of amusement played across the Drow's face.

"You are more useful to us and Amann alive than dead."

Galadriel sighed.

"I suppose so. I see the logic, but why do you need me?"

Nickolideia's obsidian skinned face, if possible, darkened.

"We do not know who is responsible, Galadriel. We need your help if we are to get to the bottom of this conspiracy. But we must know more before we can act. I will keep you in the capital city while you and I consult only a few trusted people and gather information. We cannot let this enemy know that we are on to it until we are aware of who it is. We will gather information and prepare for war in the meantime. I know that the goal of this conspiracy is aimed at Amann and the leadership of the Empire itself. We must remain silent until we are ready."

Galadriel closed her eyes in pain.

"Amann is not a bad man, despite his actions. His honor and that of the Empire is stained, just like the robe I wear. My robe is stained with my blood, but his is stained by this conspiracy that threatens us all. I care a great deal for my brother, Nickolideia. For this, I will aid you in uncovering this conspiracy."

Galadriel eyed the Drow with her blue eyes, the look was frosty.

"However, if I find that my brother comes to harm either directly or indirectly by your hand, I will find you and hunt you down. No hole in the galaxy will be sufficient to hide you from me."

Nickolideia smiled.

"I expected nothing less of the sister of Amann. That is why I will see to his safety. I am loyal to the Empire that my people and yours have founded. We honor our Alesian allies and share our homeworld with them. We were so different, yet alike when we first met. Just like 22,000 years before, we will band together once more against overwhelming odds and survive."

--

_In a system on the other system of the galaxy…_

The sounds of churning machinery was loud in the large underground building. In this particular factory, naquadah powered plasma rifles were being produced by the thousands every day. The automated assembly line was busy as it produced the weapons of war to be carried by the clone soldiers of ChiYou. Chiyou himself was busy at a console in the command center of the factory. Across several worlds, factories produced various vehicles, weapons, ships, and clone soldiers needed to fight his war of vengeance against Alesia and her empire. Several Kauri Generals were present as Chiyou turned around to face them, his eyes burned with a fiery red that matched his blood red scale armor.

"Are you ready?"

The Generals nodded.

"Yes, my lord."

Chiyou stood on the hologram platform in the center of the room as his image was broadcast to the survivors of the Kauri massacre on the hidden refuge world of New Kauri. All of the Kauri people gathered around the hologram emitters, eager to hear the words of their leader. ChiYou waited a moment, then spoke, his words carried a fiery heat as he spoke passionately.

"And so it has come to pass that our world has ceased to exist. But even now, Amann and his Alesian Empire does not understand the greater concept of what he did on that day. For that day is far more than the destruction of Kauri, far more than what Amann could ever realize. That day marked the beginning of the end of the Alesian Empire. On that day, Amann condemned himself and his people to destruction. And we will be the instruments of that destruction. The galaxy will be changed forever. For Kauri! For Victory! For the end of the Alesian Empire!"

The people cheered as the transmission ended. Indeed, their fervor was such that hundreds of thousands of Kauri citizens were recruited into the new fleet being assembled. Their hearts burned with vengeance and they were eager to fight the war. Tens of millions of clone soldiers were being created to fight the battles that were needed to end the Alesian Empire once and for all. Chiyou smiled grimly. The war would cost a lot of lives, but he was certain he would be able to win, despite the formidable Alesian war machine and their technological superiority. He needed hundreds of millions of soldiers to do so, but he knew that in 6 month's time, he would be ready to move and destroy the Alesians. He stepped off the holographic platform and faced his generals.

"Draw up invasion plans and gather intelligence on the Alesian forces. I want their movements plotted and their weaknesses discovered. When all is ready, I will invade and destroy them."

"It will be done."


	32. Storm Front Brewing

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 32: Storm Front Brewing**

Amann sat in the small office, tapping his armored fingers on the table. His face was composed, giving away nothing to how he truly felt. A white robed aide came in and spoke to him gently.

"High Councilor, we are ready."

Amann nodded slowly and stood up, straightening his armor and robes before walking out. It was a cloudy day, the normally golden dawn a overcast grey sky. It was as if Alesia mourned her loss. 20 Legionnaires were gathered, 4 of them holding a white coffin. They saluted with a fist to their breastplates. Amann looked around at them and spoke.

"Let me carry it. I must."

The Legionnaires nodded and set the coffin down. Amann walked over and picked it up, heaving it so it was on his shoulder. He nodded to the Legionnaires and they set off at a slow pace, walking through the streets to a private cemetery outside the city. Amann did not cry like he did at Lucia's funeral. Galadriel's death had dulled the feeling in him. He had dug Lucia's grave by himself, the tears mingling with the dirt as he worked. Here though, there was no feeling. Amann entered the graveyard with Galadriel's coffin on his back. He spotted the memorial to the Golden Lady and set off toward it. The Legionnaires took out their weapon staffs and held it up, the tip glowing bright blue as a tribute. They stood at attention with the staffs planted firmly against their shoulder. Amann took out a spade and began to dig. It was not long before he dug a large hole for Galadriel. He looked at the coffin and placed it gently into the hole. Amann clambered out and with a psychic tremor, closed the dirt back to form a small mound where he dug. He read the gravestone with disinterest as he stepped back.

"**Here lies Galadriel Adar  
Golden Lady of the Alesian Empire  
May her soul rest in peace.**

_The departed shall never be forgotten_"

Amann nodded to the Legionnaires and they slowly walked out of the cemetery, leaving their High Councilor alone as he stood in front of the grave with his hands clasped. A voice spoke behind him.

"Councilor?"

Amann did not turn to greet the stranger, but he knew it was Janilius. Soft footsteps echoed as Janilius stood a few steps behind Amann.

"Councilor, are you ok?"

Amann did not speak, he merely stood there looking at the grave. After a moment, Janilius turned and began to walk away.

"Janilius."

Janilius turned and waited patiently.

"Yes, Amann?"

Amann waited for a few seconds.

"You know….lately I have been thinking. Life is all too short sometimes, and yet sometimes too long as well. It is too short when we are happy and content, and all too long when we are not."

Amann breathed in slightly.

"When I was 8, my parents died. Their ship blew up. Antimatter reactor went critical......it was an accident. They were recently demoted too, after the Ancient High Council found out I was genetically enhanced. It was illegal to have them, but my parents saw how I was before them. I was.......mentally and physically deficient. They only wanted a better future for me. They were demoted from chief scientists to scientists on some remote outpost. And then they died. My sister was the only one that was there......and then some thousands of years later, I met Lucia and I thought it would be alright again. They were the two closest people to me."

Janilius remained silent as Amann continued. The expression was blank, almost dead. It was calm, deathly calm.

"Now both of them are gone. I have few friends, and fewer family. The only family I have left is my only son and daughter."

A pang of regret washed across Amann's face briefly before he continued.

"I wish we had more children. Now I will have no more."

Amann sighed.

"I have only one thing left to live for. Vengeance. I will not be angry when I find and hunt ChiYou for his crimes. He tried to undo all of my work for my people, all I have done over my life. He has taken my wife and my sister from me. I will be cold, calculating as I watch the life drain from his eyes. I no longer care anymore. My enemies have hurt me far too much. They cannot hurt me anymore. They can only take my life now. But not before I take theirs. I swear it will be the last thing I do. For all of those that are no longer with me."

Amann stood as he reached in his robe. His hand came out with a simple gold necklace with the symbol of a lady with her hands folded before her, her head bowed slightly before her in supplication. The lady was gold, as it represented Galadriel.

"This was her favorite necklace. It gave her the nickname Golden Lady of the Empire. She always wore it around her neck."

Amann knelt and placed it on the pinnacle of the gravestone, where it hung across the grave. A single tear fell and hit the ground. He stated simply to the gravestone.

"I have shed my last tears. There is nothing left. Nothing left but vengeance. All that is left is a shell."

Amann turned slowly away from the grave and passed by Janilius, his white cloak flowing behind him from the strong wind. Janilius smiled slightly looking at the grave and turned, his plan was coming to fruition. Amann walked back through the city alone, cutting a path to the Alesian High Command.

--

_On New Kauri…_

Chiyou watched as the new clones drilled and trained. Several months had seen his army grow from a few hundred thousand to dozens of millions of soldiers. He was almost ready. The Kauri recruits were perfect for his needs, eager and able people to command his armies. They were the new officer corps of his army. The clones had new weapons too. Chiyou grinned. It was the Tauri who initially gave him the idea, but he took it and modified it heavily. Each clone carried a rifle that fired the equivalent of 50 caliber armor piercing rounds, but instead of primitive gunpowder and solid shell projectiles, the bullets were given disrupter fields and the tips were laced with plasma explosives. He had tested the new weapons on Kull warrior and captured Alesian armors to great effect. While the clones would not fare well one on one with the formidable Alesian Legions, they had the weight of numbers. Chiyou knew that quantity had a quality of its own. A Kauri general walked up and saluted him crisply.

"My Lord, the fleet is almost ready."

Chiyou turned toward the general.

"You have done well. How soon will we have sufficient numbers to launch an offensive?"

"Within 3 months, Lord Chiyou. The ships are mostly ready, but we need the ground soldiers completed before we launch."

"What of the vehicles?"

"They are being built as well. We have nearly 50% of the planned production completed. The danger is after we are done with the production, we will have little stockpiles of resources to spare. We will have few reinforcements during our campaign. We might build clones, but we will have little to arm them with. The good news is that the Alesians are unaware of our buildup and continue their little war with Ba'al. Ba'al is being forced back by the Alesian advance, even his fleet is unable to halt them. The Alesians are mired down in that war, having commited the bulk of their forces to the war. Relations between the Alesian Empire and the rest of their allies are frosty at best. The Asgard has officially condemned the actions of the Alesian Empire over Kauri. The Tauri have also registered complaints as well. In response, the Alesian Empire has ceased giving protection and military aid to the new Tauri colonies. They are openly declaring a withdrawal from the military alliances set up. The Alesians are on their own. They could not be more vulnerable."

Chiyou smiled.

"Indeed, no one will come to their aid once we attack them. The System Lords would be happy to see the Alesians die. They fear the Alesians as much as they feared Anubis. The Asgard and Tauri no longer support them and might even aid our campaign. Amann is alone and I will strike him down. I will stand over his broken corpse, but not before he sees his precious Alesia burn."

ChiYou's face twisted in anger as his mask deployed over his face. The mask was intricately carved, the face that of a red daemon. The eyes glowed red with malice and rage as the WarGod's voice boomed.

"Alesia will burn like Kauri was burned! I will bathe the Alesians in a firestorm that will cleanse them from the universe forever! Amann will be killed by my own hand!"

Then Chiyou calmed down.

"We will ready in the meantime. I will invade with 300 million plus clones. I estimate the Alesian Legions to have around 10 million or so of their famed Legionnaires. Their militia forces number around 50 million, but their militia are only slightly superior to the clone warriors I have. They will be overwhelmed and destroyed."

"Yes my Lord."


	33. Red Storm Rising

AUTHOR NOTES: I have taken off the old version after many spelling and grammer errors were pointed out to me. I blame the lack of sleep :P I have now fixed most of the errors, including the big one in the review by VexMaster. Sorry about that guys.

I crave and beg for reviews! :P It helps me write even better if I get tons of reviews. Also encourages me to keep updating at a faster pace hehe

---

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 33: Red Storm Rising**

_In Stargate Command..._

"Unscheduled incoming wormhole!"

The heavy footsteps of soldiers running down the corridor were heard.

"Defense teams to the gate room!"

O'Neill walked into Stargate Command.

"What do you have, Walter?"

"General O'Neill! I thought..."

O'Neill interrupted.

"Yeah, my trip to DC will have to wait till later."

"Yes, sir. We got incoming IDC... It's the Tok'ra."

"Open the Iris."

Jacob, Anise, and two other Tok'ra, all clad in the formal-looking military attire of the Kauri, came through the gate. O'Neill recognized the Kauri equivalent of dress uniforms.

O'Neill frowned and walked down to the gate room just as Daniel Jackson entered from the other side.

"Jacob, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Jacob smiled lightly.

"Jack, it's nice to see you. You know Anise. It's good to see you too, Daniel."

Daniel nodded.

"Yes it is."

O'Neill raised an eyebrow.

"Something tells me you didn't come here for pleasantries."

Jacob nodded.

"Well, you are right. We are here as official representatives of the newly formed Tok'ra Republic."

O'Neill whistled.

"I see. So you are here to form relations with Earth."

Anise nodded.

"That is correct, General O'Neill. Our new nation under the leadership of Lord ChiYou, is a republic made up of the Tok'ra and the people of the Kauri Republic. We are here to form an official relationship with the Tauri."

O'Neill nodded.

'Well I am sure the President would like to hear that. I will inform him of your presence here in a few moments."

Jacob inclined his head in respect.

"Of course."

Daniel then asked, not able to withhold his interest.

"Tok'ra Republic?"

Jacob nodded.

"Yes, after the destruction of Kauri at the hands of the treacherous Alesians, the Tok'ra High Council has decided to join Lord ChiYou and the rest of the Kauri Republic."

Daniel was surprised.

"So, ChiYou is alive."

"Very much so, Daniel. Even now, we plan to strike back at the traitorous Alesians."

O'Neill was surprised.

"That is a little......ambitious. We broke off relations with them, but they are still a powerful race."

"That may be true, but then so are we."

O'Neill frowned.

"The last time the Kauri fleet attempted to fight the Alesians, they failed miserably. What makes to different this time?"

"We have upgraded the Kauri technology. Sufficiently to fight the Alesians we think. And we have clone armies that will destroy the Alesian Legions."

"Wow... armies?"

Anise nodded.

"Yes, we are here also to inform you that the Tok'ra Republic has declared war on the Alesian Empire. Even as we speak, millions of our soldiers are assailing the Alesian worlds."

O'Neill looked at Daniel in surprise.

"Millions...."

Jacob nodded grimly.

"Yes, we have millions of soldiers and thousands of ships attacking the worlds of Alesian Empire. We would like an alliance with the Tauri or at least your assurance of neutrality in this matter."

O'Neill was hesitant.

"I am not sure if we would join such a war. I will have to confer with the President."

"Of course, I was a general. I would not expect any less."

--

_On the Alesian border..._

A dozen hyperspace windows opened near a lush green-blue planet. From each window came out a half dozen ships of massive size followed by a dozen or so smaller ships. They were vaguely knifelike in shape, with being very broad in the beam, but relatively flat. The ships were painted steel gray with a red strip on the very outline of the ship. The four Alesian ships orbiting the planet was caught off guard as the invading ships opened fire as soon as they exited hyperspace.

Hundreds of 'torpedoes', blazing their warheads and propelled by the same sort of propulsion as a Death Glider, slammed into the shields of the three Alesian ships who managed to activate them just in time. The fourth ship was unlucky as a dozen torpedoes slammed into its back, the enriched naquadah/deuterium fission bomb exploded across the hull, crippling the advanced but rather fragile ship.

No sooner the torpedoes were fired, the attacking ships fired sharp, bullet-looking bolts of blue disruptor energy, the modified Protoss weapon beginning to cut through the fluctuating shields. The crippled Alesian Aurora drifted in space, unable to power weapons or engines. It was dead in space as the crew tried to recover from the attack. The 3 remaining Alesian ships turned and fired their beam weapons and ion cannons at the enemy attackers. The Alesian Legion on the planet was surprised by the sudden attackers, but were determined to hold out. _After all, who can withstand the Alesian Legions?_ Legate Varn thought as he stared out from the _AES Deathwalker_ as it fired its 3 beam weapons at the nearest enemy ship.

The Tok'ra Republic's ships continued to rain down fire upon the Alesian ships, this time firing narrow green beams that raked acros the shields and hulls, causing significant feedback to the ships' systems. The Tok'ra ships also had their shields upgraded. The Alesian blue beam weapons struck the shield, flashing, and noticeably dispersing the attack to the surrounding space. This would be bad for their allies if they were grouped tightly together, but the Tok'ra ships maintained decent distance from other ships. The smaller ships, after firing their torpedoes and blue energy bolts, suddenly moved forward, weaving around the Alesian ships, firing some sort of rapid firing physical weapon that was very similar to Earth's rail gun, though the plasma explosive warheads were more deadly. To tell the truth, it was simply a bigger version of clone's primary weapon, but when the smaller ships could point six guns at every angle, it was just as deadly as bigger ship guns.

The Alesian ships were not as quick to maneuver as they turned, drones were fired at the smaller ships. The drones were still deadly to the Tok'ra ships, even if the ion cannons and beam weapons were not as deadly. The _Deathwalker_ fired 3 beams together and hit one of the larger warships. The Tok'ra ship's shield held until the last moment, when the beams lanced through the ship and destroyed it in a spectacular explosion.

Eight of the nearly 100 smaller Hawk Class Gunships were destroyed as the Drones drained the shields and destroyed their hulls, but there were simply too many. The shield of another Alesian ship failed, then another. The two ships were almost instantly crippled as the attack did not stop. The last Alesian ship, _AES Deathwalker_ attempted to flee, only to be struck by the combined attacks of the Tok'ra fleet and disabled as well.

Leaving the Deathwalker floating, all but one of the bigger Gorae Class Cruisers descended upon the planet. The last Gorae class ship moved near AES Deathwalker, and began to ring down the Clone Elites, the heavy infantry dedicated for breaking the enemy's lines or boarding ships.

The surviving Legionnaires were surprised at the boarding actions, then laughed at their folly. It was stupid to think the Alesians could be bested in ground warfare. How little they knew. The Elites fired their weapons at the Legionnaires, taking them by surprise. The weapons were unique, 3 barreled guns called TriB rifles. The Alesians fired their wrist blasters in response, hitting several of the clones. To their surprise, they withstood the fire unless the Alesians used sustained bursts at them. The Alesians were surprised at an enemy that could take a few hundred plasma bursts.

Legate Varn fired a substained plasma burst at the nearest elite, the plasma blasts were absorbed by the elite armor. The Elite turned to the Legate and fired his weapon, the bullets hitting the Alesian's shield. Legate Varn ducked behind a wall and fired wildly, making the elite scatter for cover of his own as the battle raged in the corridor of the Alesian ship, sparks flying from the ceiling as the lights were shot out.

Another Elite joined the fray, but this Elite had a different weapon. The humans on Earth called it the mini-gun, and ChiYou got this idea from Jacob, who wanted the air support vehicles to be armed with it. Afterall, Jacob was a former Air Force general. Almost like an auto-cannon stuck to Space Marine's Terminators, the mini-gun locked onto the Elite's right arm began to spin at a dangerous speed.

Like a rain of bullets, explosive bullets fired at 3000 RPM, breaking through the covers and rending several Legionnaires into bloody pieces. Legate Varn swore as he was pinned behind the wall. A legionnaire roared as he ran out into the hall, the auto-cannon shells hitting the legionnaire square in the chest. The Legionnaire threw an antimatter grenade at the elites advancing down the hall.

Then the grenade exploded, killing the Elite with auto-cannon. However, the Elite still outnumbered the Legionnaires as more and more 10-men squads arrived through the several rings across the ship. Another Elite stepped forward, armed with a flame thrower. Unlike the pathetic liquid-fuel flamer, the Elite spewed forth bright blue plasma, instantly turning the corridor into an inferno, and cooking two legionnaires alive.

Legate Varn fired at the flame wielding Elite, the rate of fire slamming into the Elite. Finally the elite's tank was hit, the corridor was engulfed as the rest of the squad was cooked alive. Legate Varn narrowly evaded the inferno as he ran back down the corridor to another breached section of the ship.

As Varn turned the corner, the wall exploded and several Elites came through. One of them had a shoulder mounted rocket launcher. The other Elites immediately turned their guns on Varn, but Varn instinctively pressed the button on the wall and raised the force field used to block breached areas. The shield flared madly as the Elites fired their weapons for a short period.

Varn hit another control on the pad and the breached section started to vent atmosphere. The Elites instantly recognized the thinning air, and activated their masks' breathing system, quickly changing into internal life support system that kept them alive as they attempted to breach another wall.

Varn swore as the clones kept firing. He snarled in his communication.

"All hands evacuate ship. Self destruct protocol enabled. Authorization Legate Varn. Code Alpha Beta 332 Delta. Password Valeris."

As the force field began to flicker, Varn quickly turned around to another corridor.

Legate Varn saw some of the surviving Legionnaires near the escape pods, evacuating wounded first as they held off the Elites with rapid bursts of plasma fire. Varn nodded to his First Commander.

"Commander Cestus, I expected you on the bridge. I was in my quarters when I heard of the attack."

"I was... but we were vastly outnumbered. The rest of the enemy's fleet is heading to the planet. We need to get to planetside."

"Agreed. The ship is lost. Evacuate remaining crew. I don't think more than 200 legionnaires out of 400 survived. These new soldiers are tough, tougher than anyone besides the kull warriors we have faced. They require sustained bursts to kill. We must warn Alesia at once."

"Who are they? They did not even identify themselves before attacking us. Could it be Anubis? Anubis had the Protoss technology the last time our fleets encountered him."

"Doubt it, they do not seem like Anubis's soldier's. He would just build more Kull warriors more than likely, not whatever these new soldiers are."

The Legionnaires loaded up into the escape pods as Varn and Cestus were one of the last to escape before the elites closed on the departing escape pods. They were too late to stop the pods. As soon as the Alesians were off the ship, the Elites began to beam back to their ship, when the self-destruct went off. Nearly a third of the deployed Elites were lost, and the Gorae class ship was heavily damaged as the exploding ship took out the unsuspecting Tok'ra vessel's shield.

--

_On the ground..._

The escape pods slammed into the ground, the occupants were shaken up, but otherwise unharmed as the remnants of the Alesian Death Walkers Legion deployed on the ground. Out of 5000 men, only 3000 survived the space battle. Legate Varn was not happy with the results.

Giant sword-like Gorae class Tok'ra ships slowly descended upon the planet. Parting the thick clouds, the huge ships, escorted by the Hawk class ships that zoomed around, slowly made their way down to the surface.

The Alesian Legion quickly formed into their battalions and formed a hasty line of defense. They had no heavy equipment with them, since all of their stuff was on board their ships, but they would fight just the same.

Once cleared of the cloud, the large hanger bay doors on their underbelly opened, and a strange ships that looked like elongated Tel'taks appeared. Several dozens of these ships were followed by fighters of some kind and large crafts carrying metal boxes. There was a another strange ship class that carried circular disk underneath it.

Those ships flew across the land and dropped the disks to the ground. To the trained eyes, these disks were lined up and in a sort of formation. The metal boxes were dropped within the square formation of the disks and smaller boxes were dropped outside the formation.

The elongated Tel'taks landed, and the Clone Elites walked off. The disks came to life, ringing down Clone Soldiers. They began to open the metal containers and the big ones revealed building modules and smaller ones had vehicles.

The Death Walkers watched all this with a sense of unease despite their training. They were guarding a primitive world. How that would look to the inhabitants of this newly annexed world that the might of the Alesians was dispelled with ease. Legate Varn growled as he waited for the enemy.

The Alesians ran to their emplacements, portable force fields barriers were set up as well as automated plasma turrets. With the same rate of fire as an Alesian plasma blaster, but with far deadlier results due to the much larger size of the plasma bolt, it was a perfect anti infantry weapon. In addition, the Alesians also picked up drone launchers and awaited the enemy.

Alesians, despite their long history, never really met an enemy that could truly challenge them. The Wraiths sought food, the Jaffa were primitive, and while the Tauri and Kauri were advanced and tactically intelligent, were still far behind. However, this new enemy was an experienced armed forced, well equipped and deadly. Among the Clones were canine shaped things with some sort of gun on their backs. They were Blue Wolves. These blue painted machines that moved across the ground like nimble wolves were but with the large gun on their backs. The weapon they carried was a sort of plasma mini-gun. Its six barrels consecutively fired powerfully concentrated plasma explosive rounds specially designed for this weapon. Being of 0.75 cal, these explosive bullets with screw-shaped trinium tips that could actually pierce Alesian shields and armor with relative ease.

It was not long before at least two hundred squads of Elites and nearly three hundreds squads of Clones amassed across each of the six landing zones. The Clones were given light vehicles, very much like the APCs of Earth but with shielding and heavier weapons. Humvee-like vehicles with two top mounted auto-cannons were also deployed.

The Clones, once deployed in strength, began to march toward the communities of the natives and the Alesian camps. Headed by the Humvee-like vehicles, followed by APCs and marching infantries moved like a white fog that covered the grounds.

The Alesian turrets began to fire at the advancing clones, the streams of blue plasma impacting on the enemy clones as they ran, seeking tactical cover from the streams of withering fire. The Alesians fired their wrist weapons at the clones, adding their fire to the plasma turrets.

The Humvee-looking vehicles immediately turned on round-shaped energy shields on their front, while the APCs created open-topped shields. The clones immediately running into the cover the shields. From there, they began to run, trying to catch up to the moving shields.

The shields flared as the plasma continued to slam into them, and as they began to get in range, the Clones began to fire.

The Alesians noticed this and shifted their fire to the vehicles as dozens of drones streaked from the portable launchers. A rifle looking weapon with a drum magazine on the end, it could fire up to 6 drones before having to reload. The drones streaked in, hitting the vehicles with deadly accuracy.

The vehicles exploded as the Drones slid through the shields and the Clones scattered, but there were simply too many Clones and their vehicles. The Blue Wolves simply jumped and dodged the plasma bolts and fired their deadly heavy caliber weapon at the Alesians at almost 4200 RPM. The Clones began to fire their own weapons as well.

The APCs fired their deadly heavy weapons, mowing down entire squads of Legionnaires while the Clone Humvees chased down fleeing soldiers. The Clones would move in whole squads, overwhelming individual Legionnaires who became isolated against the overwhelming number.

Legate Varn was surrounded by a dozen clones as he twisted and turned to dodge the fire. The senior Alesian warrior was in his prime as he ducked and weaved, killing clones in close combat with plasma blades. He laughed insanely as he cut down a clone that tried to empty the rifle point blank range.

Then he was rammed by someone's heavy shoulder. An Elite Sergeant with broad scimitar had charged the Legate, knocking him down. The powerful blade drew a deep line across the ground as Varn dodged it by the skin of his teeth.

Varn rolled quickly as he fired at the blade, knocking it out of the elite Sergeant's hand. The Sergeant drew his pistol quickly, but Varn was already there, slapping the weapon out of his hand and firing into the Sergeant with rapid bursts.

The Elite Sergeant ignoring the searing plasma, knowing that the close range firing would simply leave cauterized holes rather than kill him quickly. Instead of screaming in pain, the Sergeant slammed Varn in the chest with his knee, where the ornate decoration that functioned also as a sharp blade, made a dent in Varn's armor.

Varn staggered back, but recovered quickly as he charged with a plasma blade. Of all of the Alesian weapons, this was the most effective one since energy armor did not protect fully from plasma blades. Varn swiped at the sergeant, but the sergeant moved quickly, evading the blur of blue as it narrowly missed his head. The elite counter attacked with a punch to Varn's head.

The heavy punch by the Elite shook Varn's skull, but the Alesian Legate was made of a tougher stuff than most others. Instantly, Varn kicked the Elite in the shin, hearing a crack, although he also felt significant impact across his own leg. Then a Clone fired his pistol at Varn. It hit him directly in the back, but the armor held.

Varn blurred as he grabbed the sergeant and headbutted the clone, then grabbing the elite and turning it so it faced the clone. Varn grinned as he saw the clone hesitate.

"Now you die, whoever you are."

He fired plasma bursts at the clone, killing it within a few seconds of sustained fire. Suddenly Varn let go of the Sergeant and stabbed the elite through the heart with a burning plasma blade.

Smiling with the sense of victory, he turned... only to find another squad of Clones all pointing their guns on him. There was no change that the Legate could survive. He turned around, now to find the fallen Elite was replaced with the rest of his squad, all nine of them pointing their heavier weapons on Varn. This was the price of being overwhelmed.

Varn stood proudly as he was surrounded. He spoke two words.

"Frack you."

Then someone appeared who didn't look like the rest of them. He was obviously an officer. He was wearing some sort of red armor. The man raised a device similar to Goa'uld hand device and pointed it at Varn. He spoke, the voice very much like a Goa'uld.

"You are an officer of the Alesian Legions. You would be useful."

Before Varn could react, a powerful energy shock coursed through his body.

Varn staggered slightly as the concentrated energy wave overloaded his armor defenses. He fell on his knees and with a resounding finality, hit the ground unconscious.

The Tok'ra officer Fardoth nodded as he gestured at the fallen Legate.

"Take him to the ship and put him in the special holding room. Lord ChiYou will know how to extract information from him."

The Clones nodded and carried out the order. Fardoth turned to look at the fleeing Alesians being hunted down.

"This is good. We have triumphed, as we should."

--

Across a front of 20 worlds, the clones of Chiyou invaded the Alesian Empire and quickly overwhelmed the border defenses. Fierce resistance was encountered by the clones from the Alesians, but it was quickly snuffed out as most of the Alesian garrisons perished within hours of the attacks. Nearly 40,000 Alesians and several hundred thousand militia were destroyed in the massive attack. The border invasion was over in 5 hours. The Tok'ra secured their positions, ready to spearhead deeper into the outer Alesian Empire. Chiyou smiled in triumph. He knew from the layout that the Empire was split into three distinct regions. The Outer Regions made up the bulk of the Alesian territory, but it was also the most primitive part of the Empire, having only spent a few hundred years in the Empire. Most human civilizations were primitive, having been under the rule of the Goa'uld. The Mid Region Worlds were roughly 100 planets overall, with human populations around the Tollan level of technology. Finally there was the Core Worlds of the Alesian Empire. The majority of the Alesian populace and infrastructure was on these worlds, with around 20 worlds in the core of the most advanced part of the Empire. The border invasion was only the beginning. Chiyou watched the tactical console as the Tok'ra pushed deeper in the Empire.


	34. Ambush

AUTHOR NOTES:

I am now pleased to announce that Golden Dawn has now breached the 100k point word barrier! It has been a pleasure to take you this far on the journey! Now submit reviews! Please! :P I crave them! hehe.

---

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 34: Ambush**

An Alkesh exited hyperspace near the homeworld of Lord Yu. The security of the planet has been upgraded since the war against Anubis. Nearly thirty Ha'taks and fifty Alkesh patrolled the planet's surroundings. The Alkesh was immediately noticed and a Ha'tak went to intercept it.

"Shol nek! Setek Yu Hwang Shang Ti lok ma!"

The Alkesh responded to the hail.

"Kree Jaffa! I come bearing the words of Lord ChiYou! I will speak to Lord Yu!"

The Ha'tak was silent before another voice responded.

"I am Oshu, First Prime of Lord Yu. You will pass, but we are watching you. My master will meet with you."

The Alkesh got into the orbit and ringed down three people. A Tok'ra in their Republic's new uniform and two Elites without weapons ringed down. They were immediately surrounded by a dozen Jaffa. The Tok'ra did not seem fazed by this.

"Kree Jaffa! Take me to Lord Yu!"

Oshu walked out of a nearby doorway and stood in front of the Tok'ra.

"No weapons detected. Jaffa Kree! Stand aside and let them pass."

Escorted by six Jaffa, the three men followed Oshu to the throne room of Lord Yu. Yu seemed rather gaunt but he sat straight in his throne. Oshu quickly went to his side.

"My Lord. This Tok'ra claims to be the representative of the Red Devil."

Yu narrowed his eyes, and his eyes flashed briefly. He nodded and gestured at Oshu. Oshu quickly bent to hear his master's whisper. After a moment, Oshu spoke to the Tok'ra.

"Tok'ra, my master commend you for being so bold and brave to come to him, even if you serve the Red Devil."

The Tok'ra inclined his head in respect.

"My thanks, Lord Yu."

"My master also asks you what message his nephew sends him."

The Tok'ra nodded.

"Our Great Ancestor asks after your well-being and compliments you on your stalwart defence against Ba'al."

Oshu leaned back and Yu whispered again. Oshu stood back up.

"My master thanks you for the kind words. Ba'al threatens us all."

"Indeed. This is the reason that my master has sent me as an envoy. My master offers Lord Yu and the rest of the System Lords an aid against Ba'al."

Lord Yu then spoke.

"What sort of aid, Tok'ra?"

"As you know, my master has not attended the meeting of the System Lords during the last six months."

Lord Yu nodded.

"We know. We wondered at the absence of Chiyou. We heard about Kauri."

"Yes, my master did not perish with the planet. Instead, he had been building his army and fleet."

Yu narrowed his eyes.

"We are currently at war with the Alesians. However, the threat of Ba'al and the primary Alesian fleet here means a great deal of threat. In return for assistance against Ba'al, my lord asks your aid against Alesians."

Yu was surprised.

"Us fight the Alesians? Do you not remember the last time the System Lords sent their fleets against the Alesians? We lost."

"We understand your reluctance. However, my master is willing to provide you with powerful upgrades for your ships. If you would voice this offer to the Council of the System Lords, Lord ChiYou will give you shielding technology that can withstand the Alesian weapons with greater strength. Tell the System Lords that Lord ChiYou will provide weapons technology as well."

Yu frowned.

"Very well, but the main Alesian fleet is in Ba'al's territory. Their ships are formidable. You are the ones behind the invasion of the Alesian Empire? We heard little in the past few weeks from the Alesians."

"Indeed. Even now, our forces are driving deep into the Alesian territory, conquering every planet we encounter. We have also defeated their border fleet and army. This could change if their primary fleet returns. We wish to bog down Ba'al and Alesians by forcing them to fight. With the aid of the System Lords, it would be... easier."

Yu was stunned.

"Their soldiers and border fleet did not stop you?"

The Tok'ra smirked at the suggestion.

"They did 'attempt' at resisting us, but we had defeated them in less than 5 hours. They are no match for Lord ChiYou's wrath. You of all people would know."

Lord Yu was angered at these words.

"Yet we casted him down and imprisoned him for over four thousand years. My nephew has no respect for his elders!"

"That was perhaps because you have betrayed your clan to the likes to Ra and Cronus?"

Lord Yu jumped up in a rage.

"What he suggested was intolerable! His crimes are greater than even your heresy, Tok'ra!"

The Tok'ra sneered.

"Let's not get into the debates of ideology, Lord Yu. The point is that Ba'al has become... powerful and dangerous. Alesians are also that but more so. In return for your aid against Ba'al and Alesians, Lord ChiYou also offered military aid if needed. I hear that the System Lords are suffering shortage of manpower."

Lord Yu swallowed his anger.

"Yes, the Jaffa have served us faithfully for thousands of years, but they are getting killed off too easily."

"Indeed, my lord wishes that the Jaffa are more durable. We have also an offer of better Jaffa armor. I am sure that these... new ways of thinking may be difficult for the System Lords... but in order to survive, one must not resist the progress."

Lord Yu looked at the Tok'ra.

"Progress or the end of a way of life? Nevertheless, I will accept the aid of my nephew. Even if he is the Red Devil and his suggestions are heresy. The Alesians do threaten everyone and they certainly do not like us."

The Tok'ra nodded. He took out a small crystal and handed it to a Jaffa to deliver to Oshu.

"That contains 'special' upgrades for your forces alone, Lord Yu. My master still thinks highly of you."

Lord Yu took the crystal.

"I will speak to the System Lord Council on your behalf. I am the de facto leader of the System Lords with Ba'al betraying us."

"Of course... Now... 'When' Ba'al is defeated, I am sure that in order to remove the temptation to become another Ba'al, my lord suggested that we evenly split his territory. I hear he now has two third of Olokun's domain and one fifth of Ares' and another twenty or so planets from Lady Morrigan."

The Tok'ra paused then continued.

"Also, despite your continued production of Ha'taks, you barely outnumber Ba'al fleet by 6.5 to 1... When Ba'al's ships can take on yours at the rate of 1 to 6... This is something that all System Lords should think about before considering my master's offer."

Lord Yu nodded.

"Very well, Tok'ra. Your offer will be sent to the rest of the council."

He paused.

"The primary Alesian Fleet is well over a thousand ships. It will prove almost impossible to destroy them entirely when they are gathered like that, even with the new technological upgrades."

"Lord ChiYou does not suggest taking them head on. It is better to take advantage when the Alesians and Ba'al are fighting."

Lord Yu blinked.

"Raiding and crippling individual ships."

"Yes, and I know that the System Lords frown upon such tactics... but it will keep them alive."

"I see. I will confer with the rest of the System Lords. Is there anything else?"

"That will be all. Thank you for your time, Lord Yu. I am sure, that my master will attend next council of System Lords, but that is still many months away, so in the meanwhile, we wish you good luck."

Lord Yu nodded.

"You may head back to your ship."

He turned to walk out of the throne room, but paused and turned back.

"Give my nephew my regards."

The Tok'ra was slightly surprised at such cordiality, but bowed his head and left the throne room.

**--**

The news of various border worlds falling to the mysterious enemy had already spread throughout the Alesian Empire like a wildfire. The public channels were in frenzy and in chaos. The local garrisons quickly organized defenaes around their planet, doing their best to set up defenses while gathering a fleet for a counter strike.

The answer to the invasion came with the arrival of the Alesian 8th Fleet, recently dispatched from the Mid-Regions to protect the outer worlds. A fleet that had just undergone repairs after a massive battle with Ba'al's forces, it consisted of 12 Auroras, 7 Vengeance class battleships, and 1 Angelan class destroyer. In addition, there were 16 escorting cruisers as well.

The fleet was split into two, heading toward two of the most important worlds taken recently by this new foe. Unfortunately, one of the fleets were detected.....

Confident in their technological might, the Alesian fleet rushed toward the nearest planet under occupation. Scouting were forgone. After all, who in this galaxy had the technology to even detect their ships? What they did not count on was that the enemy's technologies were developed only for war, and they were not in a small skirmish.

They were at war.

The first of the Alesian groups moved toward Tarsus III, an important outpost that was the site of a huge Alesian sensor array. It had been guarded by a full Legion with a smattering of Alesian Militia, but contact with the planet was lost when the Legate in charge reported an enormous fleet attacking the planet.

The fleet exited hyperspace on the edge of the solar system when their sensors indicated the presence of subspace mines. Subspace mines were known but never been used by the Alesians or the Alterans. Why would they use something that would affect their own FTL travel? Indeed, the Alesians were surprised to find such dangerous weapon floating, blocking their way.

The Alesian General in charge of the fleet detachment frowned. He was General Salen, a senior Alesian General with over 7,000 years of tactical and strategic experience. He spoke to one of his subordinates.

"Legate Palo, what do you make of this mine field?

"It's recently planted, but this is some sophisticated technology. They form a sort of net that moves to counter a certain amount of attempt at evasion. We will have to go sublight and go around nearly half of the solar system. Even with our maximum sublight... It will take almost an hour to go around it."

Salen growled.

"I got a better idea. Why not try clearing this minefield with some drones? Blow the drones up in strategic spots, set off a chain reaction."

"I simulated that, sir, and that would be really bad. The mines seem to detect attacks and shield themselves from a chain reaction. Not only that, they could possibly come after the ships that fired the drones. I have never seen this sort of technology or this kind of utilization, sir."

Salen growled.

"Fine fine, go around the minefield. How that would look to the Empire? The mighty and powerful Alesian fleet defeated by a minefield of all things?"

"Sorry, sir. We cannot got through it is what is certain."

The fleet took nearly an hour and found an opening around where some tiny planetoids were orbiting. As they were passing through that hole, Palo called Salen.

"Sir... I have been checking out the minefield... and something struck me as odd."

Salen looked at Palo.

"Yes? What is it, Legate?"

"This minefield... It looks as if it was not meant to keep things from getting in... Almost like a planetary barricade... sort of thing. Nothing can get out without careful navigation."

Salen frowned.

"If it was not meant to stop enemies from getting in, then what......oh no....."

The Alesian fleet just cleared the net and was inside when nearly fifty Gorae class and twenty Hawk class ships decloaked around them. They fired on the Alesian fleet as soon as they were decloaked. Salen swore.

"Damn, I should have known this would be an ambush! Launch fighters! Have the cruisers flank the enemy and strafe them! Lock all weapons and fire!"

The Alesian battleships turned and engaged the Tok'ra warships as the Alesian crusiers ducked and weaved between the beams of the Tok'ra ships. The Alesian cruisers were only 400 meters in length and were too small for the beams to hit.

The Alesian battleships fired streams of ion cannon bolts at the large Tok'ra warships while the 8 cruisers in the 20 ship detachment attacked the flanks of the larger warships, the Tok'ra beams not being able to hit the cruisers due to their agility. The cruisers fired drones and ion cannons, disabling or destroying 4 of the Gorae class battleships. The Alesian fighters took off and flew toward the Tok'ra ships as well, loaded with drones and ion cannons. There were several hundred Alesian fighters as they flew like a cloud, crossing the distance rapidly between the two fleets.

The Alesians also began to fire off dozens of beam weapon cannons, hitting the shields of the Gorae ships as drones closed the distance to attack the much smaller Hawk gunships.

The technology may have been better on the Alesian side, but it was not enough to cover the overwhelming number. The fifty Gorae class ships continued to bombard the Alesian ships with their deadly weapons without even flinching from the Alesian attacks. This was due to the training of the Clones. Their sacrifice was nothing if they could kill just one more Alesian.

The Alesians were surprised at the ferocity of their opponent. The enemy didn't even flinch when 3 of the Gorae warships were destroyed by beam weapons punching right through them. Instead it made the clones even more determined in pressing home their attacks.

One of the crippled Gorae class ship rammed into an Alesian ship, its sword shape cutting cleanly across the ship before exploding. The Alesian Aurora drifted in space, powerless as it headed toward the minefield as it was pounded by no less than 4 Gorae ships.

Then at the activation code, several hundred mines moved toward the Alesian ships, exploding all over the rear of the Alesian fleet.

The Alesian shields held against most of the onslaught, but their shields were weakened somewhat by the mines. General Salen smiled grimly as his Angelan-class destroyer moved into position. Legate Palo called out from the weapon's station.

"We are in engagement position."

"Fire the drones. All ships, fire all drones. Full salvo! Fire at will!"

All of the Alesian ships maintained their Ion cannon and beam weapon fire as thousands of drones flew from the drone bays of all of the Alesian battleships and they headed into the Tok'ra fleet like a great wave of death.

As the Angelan class destroyer began to focus fire on several Gorae-class battleships, the net of mines above them parted and a hyperspace window opened. Three very large ships about the size of the Angelan class appeared, with the markings of the Tok'ra Republic.

Although nearly fifteen or so Tok'ra ships had been crippled or destroyed with only 3 losses for the Alesians, the Tok'ra fleet did not relent. With the new ships coming their aid, the Tok'ra pushed even harder, the large Haetae class battle cruisers raining down hundreds of torpedoes and blue Protoss pulses.

The Angelan-class destroyer moved up, her nose pointing upward at a steep angle as it climbed, closing the distance between itself and the 3 large dreadnoughts rapidly. It wasn't called the _AES Eagle's Wrath_ for nothing, as the massive Alesian destroyer fired point blank into the dreadnoughts as they fired back with their pulse cannons.

Salen cried out as the _Eagle's Wrath_ shuddered under the intense fire.

"Keep your course! Set secondary batteries! Full attack mode! Fire at will!"

The Haetae class battlecruisers, named after the mystical fire-eating dogs of legend, was something different from the lesser ships of the Tok'ra. Flanking the Angelan class, it opened up with powerful weapons, raking destruction on the sides. However, the real power of the Haetae class was the anti-Alesian weapon ChiYou had developed.

Three large turrets rose on the top of the hull, and each turret aimed at the Angelan, and fired. Pulsating purple energy beams struck the Angelan class ship, and the ship's metal parts began to disintegrate into tiny crystals. The remaining shield was useless as the feedback from the weapon simply disintegrated the shield generator.

The Eagle's Wrath shuddered as the shield died, but the Angelan-class destroyer was far different from its weaker class of warships. Unlike most Alesian ships, this one was heavily armored and was capable of taking a beating even without it's raw shield power. The 3 powerful Alesian beams raked the side of the dreadnought, finally piercing the shields of one of the large ships. The exchange of fire continued as the overwhelmed Alesian ships began to fall apart one by one. Even the Angelan class destroyer began to feel the pressure of defeat.

Legate Palo turned and shouted to General Salen.

"We are taking a pounding. We cannot take too much more of this! We run?"

Salen shouted.

"We run all right! Right at it! Down their throat! Plot a course between the nearest two dreadnoughts! That will stop the third one from firing at us!"

"Yes sir! Evasive pattern suicide initiated!"

"That is the spirit, Legate! For Alesia!"

The bridge crew all roared as one.

"For Alesia!"

The _Eagle's Wrath_ moved in between two of the Haetae dreadnoughts, its hull glinted with fire, but the ship was tough. It withstood the pounding as it fired furiously into the sides of the two enemy ships. The Ion cannons fired hundreds of shots into the enemy ships as the beam weapons sliced through the hull of the dreadnoughts.

The double-layer armored hull of the 'battle cruisers' were not so easy to penetrate as the beam weapons were dissipated by the mid-layer which dispersed most of the energy and channeled some to the weapons and shields. The attacks merely made the Tok'ra ships attack harder.

The _Eagle's Wrath_ was not without one last trick. The _Eagle's Wrath _had on board over 200 fighters loaded with drones still and it launched them into the firestorm. The engagement range between the _Eagle's Wrath_ and the Haetae dreadnoughts was less than 12 kilometers across total, the distance between each of the ships was less than 2 kilometers. There was no way any of the ships could miss. The Haetae ships tried to intercept the fighters, but there wasn't enough time for the Tok'ra's anti-fighter weapons to kill the fighters as they swooped in, luanching dozens of drones at crucial sections of the ship and strafing it with pulse cannon fire.

The massive impact of the drones suffered by the Haetae battle cruisers were enough to pause the attack. The Alesian ships quickly attempted to flee through the hole in the net of mines.

The Alesian destroyer maneuvered as it turned to circle around one of the Haetae ships. The shields of the nearest ship were down as Salen smiled grimly.

"Fire beam weapons. Target enemy reactor room. Ion cannons concentrate on engines. We bought enough time for many of our ships to escape this trap. After the last of the warships are away, we will leave as well. Kill that ship."

He indicated the Haetae ship to the side of the now turning _Eagle's Wrath_, now with its engines vulnerable to an Alesian strike. The surviving Alesian fighters started to land roughly in the fighter bays as the Eagle's Wrath fired a furious last salvo at the Tok'ra warship.

Even with the explosions all over the hull, _Eagle's Wrath_ continued to fire on the powerful dreadnought. However, it could not finish the job when another Haetae fired its new weapon at the side, causing massive damage and significant powerful failures to the weapons systems. Legate Palo turned to Salen.

"Forward batteries are down. Beam weapons inoperative!"

Salen swore in anger as he pointed his finger and roared.

"Luanch our antimatter missiles! That will finish the job. Then jump away! Do it! Now!"

"Yes sir! Firing!"

The Eagle's Wrath turned on its side as the top of the destroyer was facing the Haedae dreadnought. Streams of blue issued from the launch tubes as the _Eagle's Wrath_ sped away at full sublight, the 100+ Antimatter nukes streaking toward the Tok'ra ship as it opened fire with its railgun batteries, killing many of the Alesian weapons as the intercepted antimatter nukes exploded harmlessly, but without engines, it was unable to move. The heavily armored ship was literally disintegrated as over 25 of the Antimatter nukes made it through the rail-gun barrage to strike the ship from the top, bottom, and side. Blue explosions rocked the ship as it was blown apart into fragments. The _Eagle's Wrath_ entered hyperspace in satisfaction, but Salen sobered up as he realized out of 20 Alesian ships, only 11 survived the engagement, with most of the surviving ships suffering moderate to heavy damage. Indeed, even the _Eagle's Wrath_, the pride of the Alesian fleet, was severely damaged. It was a miracle it was able to get into hyperspace. Salen ordered the remaining fleet that had departed for the Farla System to be recalled, as he heard the news of a similar battle being fought there. The Farla detachment fared better, but still lost a third of their ships as the combined Alesian 8th Fleet returned home.

The remnants of the Alesian Fleet flew for their fleet base at Garian System in the Mid-Regions, having failed to retake the planet. The Tok'ra had also failed to destroy the Alesian fleet, having suffered nearly 35 ships crippled or destroyed, with one of their prized dreadnoughts destroyed and another damaged heavily. But a draw was still a win for the Tok'ra as they cared only about killing more Alesians than victory.


	35. Realizations

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 35: Realizations**

"Colonel Carter, we are receiving the encoded transmission from Bra'tac."

"Thank you, Sergeant. Can you call General O'Neill and Teal'c from the gym?"

"Yes ma'am. General O'Neill and Teal'c report to the Gate Room."

_A few minutes later..._

As Carter prepared her briefing material, Daniel arrived first and sat down with a cup of coffee.

"So... What's up?"

"We received new information from Bra'tac. The General needs to hear this."

Just then O'Neill and Teal'c entered the room, having changed quickly into their uniforms. O'Neill sat down at the head of the table as he spoke first.

"I was just having a good workout when you called, Carter. I missed the last part of the Simpsons episode that was on too.....so what's up?"

"Sir, we have a new transmission from Bra'tac. He seems to be quite handy with the technology we gave him."

"That is good. Nice to see the old man become computer literate. Even I had to, so we should spread it around."

O'Neill smirked. Then he continued with a nod.

"So continue by all means, Carter."

"Yes, sir. Recently, Bra'tac has been working out of the new Hak'tyl homeworld after securing the rebel Jaffa's position around Cal Mah. He has gained the support of nearly three hundred more Jaffa rebels and has been infiltrating the ranks of the System Lords's Jaffa and Ba'al's Jaffa."

"Good for them. It is a small number, but you got to start somewhere I suppose...."

Teal'c nodded.

"That is true, O'Neill. All great achievements must begin from a tiny seed."

Carter smiled as she continued.

"According to Bra'tac, ChiYou has revealed his survival from the Massacre of Kauri and has provided the System Lords with technological upgrades to fight both the Alesians and Ba'al."

O'Neill frowned.

"That isn't very good. The System Lords are still enemies, despite their participation in the alliance. We certainly did not need ChiYou to supply the snakeheads with more technology."

"Well, there is more. Apparently, Selmak's declaration of war against the Alesians was not a bluff at all. From the gossip gathered by Bra'tac, the Tok'ra forces have overrun nearly thirty planets and another twenty are under heavy assault."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"The Alesians are unable to stop them? I thought the Alesians had far superior technology and genetically enhanced soldiers."

"Well, we are not clear on the details, but the Tok'ra forces seem to have employed various vehicles. It's a new tactic encountered by the Alesians or any other gate-using cultures."

Daniel nodded.

"That makes sense. The cultures based around the Stargates will tend to develop technology based on it. Utilizing large vehicles would be unlikely since they would not fit through the gate."

Teal'c frowned.

"Wouldn't the vehicles be susceptible to large scale bombardment from orbit? The Alesians have a formidable fleet as well."

"It appears that the Tok'ra have a massive fleet that is capable of overwhelming the Alesians and technology advanced enough to fight them. It appears that we have again become the least advanced race among the major players in the galaxy, sir."

O'Neill closed his eyes.

"And we were getting so far too.....So the Alesians are losing badly?"

"We cannot be certain of these rumors but the Alesians were mostly in retreat except for a couple of large battles that ended in a draw. No, the more pressing concern for us at the moment is the new technologies gained by the System Lords."

O'Neill shook his head.

"Why on Earth did the Tok'ra give the System Lords technology? I thought they hated each other?"

"Apparently, ChiYou's authority and influence over the Tok'ra had made them overcome that. Also, they have sworn vengeance against the Alesians. I believe the point of giving the technology to the System Lords was to distract the Alesian fleets operating within the core of our galaxy."

Teal'c nodded.

"We know the main Alesian fleet is deployed against Ba'al. Ba'al was not doing well in the past few months against them despite his much larger fleet numbers."

Carter nodded and put up a map of the galaxy. The north and north east of the galaxy was colored blue, with large letters 'ALESIAN EMPIRE" written in the middle. In the center of the map were thick lines that cut off large chunks. The lines indicated the known Goa'uld domain in total. Within the Goa'uld domain were various colors where the red was Ba'al. A tiny greet dot down in the southwest part of the map was marked 'EARTH'.

"You see these large red territories that covers nearly a third of the entire Goa'uld territory belongs to Ba'al. He still commands less ships than the System Lords combined, but he still outnumbers the Alesian main fleet by at least fifteen to one. With the Alesian main fleet and the sizeable army within the fleet still continuing to attack Ba'al's planets, he is quite preoccupied."

Daniel raised his hand.

"Enough to ignore us?"

Teal'c raised his eyebrow. Carter nodded.

"Definitely. In fact, Bra'tac noticed less security against his rebel Jaffa. Not only that, the System Lords are also focusing on fighting the Alesian fleet and Ba'al's fleet."

O'Neill frowned.

"So the System Lords have new technology so they can fight the Alesians and Ba'al, leaving the Tok'ra with only a weakened Alesian Empire to deal with. The Alesians will have alot of trouble to withdraw their main fleet as they are basically surrounded, but the sheer number of Alesians makes it nearly impossible to destroy them outright."

Daniel nodded with a small smile.

"This is actually quite clever. This way, the Tok'ra can deal with the weakened Alesians, while the System Lords, Ba'al and the Alesian main fleet destroy each other."

O'Neill frowned again.

"But what happens when the Alesian fleet finally breaks back through and starts fighting the Tok'ra?"

Teal'c narrowed his eyes.

"I believe that is the exactly the reason that ChiYou has provided the System Lords with technology to delay that as much as possible, hopefully damage the Alesian fleet enough to make it easier to deal with."

O'Neill drummed his fingers on the desk.

"I am surprised that Chiyou did not offer us any technology. You would think he would try to get us to fight the Alesians as well."

Daniel seemed surprised.

"Really? Us?"

O'Neill shrugged.

"Well, he might be Tok'ra, but the Tok'ra have never been above using us for their own ends."

"That is true, O'Neill. They think nothing of sacrifice for the greater good."

"Any ideas why he did not offer us aid?"

Everyone shrugged.

--

_In Alesian High Command..._

Amann was gathered around a tactical display with Janilius, General Ayen, and several other Generals and Legates. Amann was peering at the screen.

"Who is this new foe? We have lost nearly 150,000 Alesian Legionnaires and millions of people, including several ships, and we don't even know who this new enemy is?"

Amann turned to the rest of his generals.

"Anyone? My patience is running out."

Amann suddenly roared angrily.

"I want to know who this enemy is! What he or she is! I want to know who is responsible for this invasion and why we are not able to stop them!"

Janilius attempted to molify Amann.

"Please, Amann... Calm down... We will win... We just need to calmly think about all this. Let's listen to what information we already have."

With a visible effort, Amann calmed down.

"Yes....you are right Councilor. So?"

He looked around at the rest of his generals.

Ayen spoke.

"Here is what information we have. The enemy has pushed into our territory in a wide front invasion, taking over nearly thirty planets and another twenty or so planets are under attack. Local defence units have either been defeated or captured, and we only have very few survivors from the battles."

Amann nodded.

"And what of the 8th Fleet? The one we dispatched to deal with this threat. They returned did they not?"

Another general spoke.

"We now know that they forces outnumber our forces by at least 5 to 1 on both ground and in space. Not only that, the 8th Fleet has been crippled and although nearly a third of its ships have survived, they are no longer able to carry out agressive campaigns."

Amann frowned.

"And where is General Salen? Does he know who attacked his fleet?"

Ayen shook his head.

"We have lost contact with Salen's fleet and from what we can tell most of his units are scattered around the area, just trying to survive. I have ordered the remaining ships of 8th fleet to pick them up, but we won't know more until they report in."

Amann pondered the problem.

"We will need to surge forces to meet this new advance. Our main fleet is in Ba'al's territory."

A young general spoke.

"Sir, also we have strange dampening fields around entire regions that hampers our communications. Only Stargates remain as our only source of communication, but most of the planets under attack had lost the control of Stargates already."

Amann growled.

"Damn it! We need to recall the main fleet force. Is Ba'al able to recover from our attacks?"

Ayen winced.

"For some reason, Ba'al has intercepted several attacks we made. It was as if he could read our moves. Not only that, the System Lords have come to fight both Ba'al and our main fleet."

Amann laughed.

"The System Lords? Are they that foolish? They cannot even hope to stop us! Didn't the battle over Alesia prove that?"

"The problem is that the System Lords have got their hands on some advanced technology. Their ships are now able to hurt our ships and withstand our attacks to certain degree. This is bogging down our fleet between Ba'al's renewed assaults and the System Lords."

Amann's face hardened.

"What? Who is responsible for this! What sort of weapons?"

"It is a strange technology. It's not even Protoss tech, yet it can overwhelm our shields in several shots."

Amann was surprised.

"What? That is deadlier than the Protoss technology. At least our shields initially withstood several dozen shots before they collapsed!"

"Well, it is some sort of pulse wave weapon that has the property of stacking with other pulses. One on one, we are not threatened, but overwhelmed, we would suffer greatly. Now that the issue of the Protoss weapons came up... The reports on the mysterious attackers indicate Protoss weapons... but far more advanced that any version we have encountered before."

Amann walked away, muttering.

"Advanced Protoss weaponry.....Chiyou! It is him! He is the one behind these attacks!"

Amann roared in a fury.

"That parasite! I will rip him apart! Recall the main fleet! We will counter attack and destroy him!"

Amann breathed slightly from his outburst.

"No. We will first gather intelligence on his forces, find out his weaknesses, and then hammer him!"

Amann turned to a general.

"General Baras, you will take your 6th Fleet and reinforce the 8th Fleet. The rest of the fleets in Alesian territory will gather and surge forward to block the main advance. That will take a few days. The rest of you will come up with defense plans."

Amann turned to Ayen.

"This war will need more men. We will gather our main forces, but it might not be enough. We need more men. I want to reactivate the reserve Legions, they have been dormant for centuries."

Ayen was surprised.

"Which ones?"

Amann said coldly.

"All of them. The entire reserve force."

Ayen was stunned.

"That.....will take some time. Months to retrain them. We are talking several dozen million men."

Amann crossed his arm as he looked at the display.

"Then I suggest you get started at once."

Ayen and the rest left as Amann glanced at the display, deep in thought. A man decloaked next to him. He was wearing white armor like a standard Legionnaire, but something about the armor made it seem more fearsome, chilling. The Legion insignia was a black hand clenching a skull. The dark haired man spoke to Amann with a touch of irony.

"Interesting brief, Amann, but you got something else planned for my Legion don't you?"

Amann nodded.

"Yes, General Hiei. I do. The Death's Hand will be needed. Yours might be the most brutal and coldy efficient Legion I have. It was your intelligence services that helped us against Anubis and the System Lords."

General Hiei chuckled.

"Yes. We are outcasts and not permitted starships like the other Legions, but we all serve Alesia the same."

Amann nodded.

"A necessary measure. You are a secret Legion, your very existence as a Legion is only a rumor to begin with. Black operations are your speciality, especially when it comes to eliminating troublesome radicals that advocate an anti-Alesian agenda. Even those within the Empire. You are good at killing and making it look like an accident or natural causes or blaming some other party besides the Alesian Empire."

Hiei spoke sardonically.

"Your point?"

Amann ignored the barb of insubordination.

"The point is, your services will be needed in this war. For now, it will only be intelligence gathering and infiltration of the enemy. You will know what to do."

Hiei spoke sarcastically.

"Oh yes, that will be easy Amann. Infiltrate a bunch of clones when we look different from them. All while being hidden away and not recognized at all for it."

Amann turned suddenly.

"If you cannot carry out the mission, General, I will find someone who can and replace you. You are valuable, but not irreplacable. Remember it was I who spirited you away when the courts wanted your head for genocide against that Jaffa world. It had civilians on it and yet you ordered your Legion to purge the entire population. That wasn't necessary. I recognized a valuable man, an asset being thrown away for a crime that was regrettable. Despite your crime, you are still worthy to serve Alesia. You owe me and Alesia a great debt in letting you live and still serve. And you will keep paying it off until I say so and pardon you officially! But never forget I can easily have you killed."

Amann pointed his wrist weapon at Hiei as he grabbed him and slammed the general into a console.

"It would be easy. I could say you were an assassin sent by Chiyou. Your face blown off, a few minutes in a DNA resequencer would hide your identity and you could be anyone. You understand that better than anyone. It is why you run Death's Hand Legion. Never forget who is in charge. Understand?"

Hiei glared but then nodded.

"Very well Amann. I know when to be grateful for what you have done. I still serve Alesia despite living most of my days in exile, hidden away. I might have killed a few ten thousand on Galfan II, but how many lives did I save? Millions, perhaps billions of lives since then, High Councilor! And all with no honor, no parades or grand balls for me or my men! No recognition of our services! On Galfan II, the damn civilians were shooting at my legion day after day!"

Amann growled.

"They had zats and staff weapons. They couldn't harm your soldiers."

Hiei spoke back fiercely.

"So wait for them to get deadlier weapons and then start killing them? Not likely, Councilor!"

Amann snarled.

"The courts prosecuted you for it, they don't agree! I do not either! But I am giving you a second chance and you will follow my orders to the letter or you will die a unnamed corpse in the nearest gutter!"

Hiei blinked.

"I serve the Council."

"Don't forget it. For 5,000 years you have served your pentence rather than being executed or having to serve the rest of your life in hard labor in disgrace with your commission revoked. You will continue to serve."

"I see, but I still do not like being honorless regardless of my services."

Amann sneered.

"Like or dislike is not required, only obedience. Do not make me regret my decision in saving you from the execution squad."

Amann released General Hiei.

"Go now and start your operations, General. I will want reports every two days. Remember, I will be watching you. If you do a good enough job, you will be pardoned."

Hiei straightened his armor.

"The worm dangling over a fish tank?"

Amann smiled.

"Call it.....incentive. It is what you want and I might just grant it. Leave me, I have a war to plan here."

Amann turned his back to Hiei. Hiei saluted smartly and cloaked as he left the room.


	36. Counter Strike

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 36: Counter Strike**

_A month later, in Alesian High Command...._

General Baras stood with General Salen, General Ayen, and Amann overlooking the holographic tactical display. He was nodding grimly as he spoke.

"The clone armies of Chiyou are formidable, High Councilor and Generals. It would take our main fleet to stop them, but they are being delayed and harried as they make their way back to us, deploying to pick up scattered garrisons and supplies as they return home. The random attacks by the System Lords and Ba'al are only slowing us down, but we need those soldiers and garrisons if we are to fight a ground war successfully. I estimate another month or so before the main fleet returns home."

Amann nodded.

"Very well, but this information was known to us, General Baras. Your 6th Fleet and General Salen's 8th Fleet has taken severe losses with the renewed attacks. We have lost 400 planets thus far and nearly 400,000 Legionnaires, along with 2 million Militia and millions of Alesian civilians. Chiyou is exterminating anyone that is Alesian descended and doing an efficient job of it. His forces are racing through a 15 system wide front and they are getting closer to the Mid Region worlds than I would like. The outer colonies have little in the way of infrastructure, only providing raw materials for our forces while the bulk of our shipyards and war factories are over the Core Worlds and some of the most important Mid Region worlds. I would like some plans to stop or slow their advance."

Amann tapped the desk impatiently as General Baras cleared his throat.

"As a matter of fact, I have one. Observe High Councilor."

General Baras smirked as he triggered the display to show a single system.

"There, the Gorash system. On the third planet is what we believe to be their main supply depot. We have been spying on the Tok'ra's fleet movements and we observed many ships ferrying between this world and their battle fleets. If this massive supply depot were destroyed, then I believe their offensive will slow and possibly halt in its tracks. Their clones will have nothing to eat, their ammunition for their weapons will be depleted. Their ships will have no fuel for their naquadah reactors. Their vehicle and clone replacements are being routed through there as well, arming and prepping as they enter the battle. It is heavily guarded, but it is vulnerable to a counter strike. A surprise attack using our cloaking devices will allow us to ambush the defending fleet and leave the ground forces wide open for the slaughter. An orbital bombardment will follow, and then we land some Legions to finish off the defenders. I will personally lead the assault with the main elements of my 6th Fleet. I have 20 Legions in my task force and 10 warships. It is what I figure I can spare from the front."

Ayen looked at the planet.

"Finally, some good news. Almost too good. I feel uneasy. It is too good to be true."

General Baras laughed.

"Relax General Ayen. You might be senior to me, but if I may say so, being promoted to Commander of the Legions has made you into an old woman."

General Baras and Salen chuckled. Even Ayen gave a slight smile. Only Amann was unsmiling.

"Ayen may be right, but I do not think we have much of a choice at the moment. We need to slow down Chiyou. He had done a good job of hiding this supply depot so far, what with the cloaking fields you have detected around the planet, deactivating at supply times. It was lucky you got within scan range to detect them in the first place. It might be a trap, it might not. Sometimes you have to walk into one to see if it is."

General Baras nodded soberly as his smile faded.

"It was, our probe got lucky when the cloaking field dropped for 4 hours to resupply. Had we been a few minutes earlier from our scout probe, it would have not been detected. I will ready my Legionnaires at once. I will be home in time for dinner."

General Baras smirked as he gave a salute to everyone else in the room. Everyone else saluted him back as he turned around, his short white cape flowing behind him.

--

_Somewhere in the Outer Regions...._

Chiyou was sitting with several of his generals in the small conference room looking at tactical displays of their own, the red glow of the room showcased the bloodlust and desire for revenge from the various people gathered. Chiyou spoke finally.

"You sure this is accurate?"

A general spoke.

"Yes my lord. We detected an Alesian scout probe and we know it scanned Gorash III. They detected our supply depot."

Chiyou swore in Goa'uld as the general continued desperately.

"Sir! If they destroy that supply depot, our forces will be unable to maintain the war! They will run out of food and ammunition and we will be sitting ducks for their Legionnaires. Already we have lost 25 million clones. More replacements are on the way, but it will take time to replace those losses. Killing the Alesian civilians that live among the human populace has proven to be harder. They are all armed with plasma rifles and they are resisting alot more after word has spread of what happened to the border worlds with Alesian civilians. They know we won't spare them. We must either move our supply depot or stall the offensive while we consolidate our defenses!"

ChiYou glared at the general.

"Stall the offensive? What in Sokar's name for? Don't you see? This is perfect!"

ChiYou started laughing as the rest of the generals stared at him. Was he mad? Another general spoke.

"Sir, I don't mean to be rude, but are you mad? They will cut our supply lines if we do not move the supply depot or find a way to protect it better! That will slow or stall the offensive!"

Chiyou just laughed.

"You cannot see! This is the perfect opportunity! The Alesians will strike with a fleet on that world, knowing it is our weak spot. The smart warrior will aim for the weak spot of his enemy and the Alesians are not stupid. They will want us to slow down and try to protect it or move it, costing us valuable time while their main fleet returns home."

Chiyou's face was still alight with mirth.

"The System Lords and Ba'al have proven their incompetence. Far less damage has been done to thier fleet than I had hoped. Only several dozen ships have been damaged of theirs. I hoped for at least 100 or 200 ships being disabled or destroyed. It was not entirely unexpected they would fail. Still, those fools we are using have proved useful in delaying them. Now we can push forward as the Alesians will weaken their line of defense by deploying significant forces to go after the supply depot. And when they do....."

Chiyou's eyes glowed red with bloodlust.

"I will destroy them. Their soldiers will be wiped out to the last man and the plains of Gorash III will run red with Alesian blood."

The generals nodded, used to the battles. Still, even a chill ran down their spine as Chiyou gloated in the thought of killing more of the enemy.

--

_Near Gorash III..._

_Tok'ra Republic Supply Depot_

20 Tok'ra Gorae class battleships were standing guard, refueling as the hundreds of supply ships ferried between the surface of the complex to the warships in orbit. The Tok'ra admiral in charge of the fleet mused.

"Status of the resupply mission, Commander?"

The commander, a veteran Kauri soldier, saluted.

"Resupply efforts are well within 50%. We will be ready to move back to the front within an hour."

"Good, have the......what is that?"

The Tok'ra admiral stood up and gasped.

"Alesians! Disconnect the supply ships immediately! Raise shie..."

Suddenly an Alesian beam struck the bridge and blew out the bridge as the Tok'ra fleet was decimated by the sudden Alesian fleet exiting hyperspace right on top of them. Without shields and no room to manuever or time to even arm weapons, the Tok'ra fleet in orbit was nothing more than a sitting duck at anchor. The Alesian fleet wasted little time in their advantage as their ships poured fire into the remaining ships. The destruction of the Tok'ra fleet took less than 2 minutes as General Baras smiled in triumph.

"Good. Fleet neutralized. Commander, target remaining supply and drop ships. Spare no one."

"Yes, General!"

The Alesian armada of 10 ships fired at the slow moving supply ships, their beam and ion cannons lancing out with almost contemptous ease. The supply ships were downed within the space of a few minutes. Then the Alesian fleet turned and fired furiously at the planet before the defense batteries could be made operational. Flickering bursts of green bolts streaked up, but the fire was wild. The defense emplacements were destroyed in short order and the bridge crew cheered as General Baras stood up. This was their general and they were proud to do his work for his praise. He raised a hand in triumph and smiled.

"Good work. Supply ships are taken care of. There are no defense guns now that are capable of hitting our ships in scan range. Beam down the strike force! I am joining the attack personally."

"It will be done! Beaming!"

General Baras laughed as he beamed down with a full 10 Legions. With 50,000 Alesians at his command and 50,000 more manning the fleet in reserve, he was confident in victory. He was nicknamed the laughing general, a name given almost reverely by his men for his wisecracks and his laughter during a battle. His men ran quickly through the forest, finally reaching a ridge overlooking the supply depot. General Baras raised a hand.

"Alesians! Charge and stock up! Take it down!"

With a cheer, his men roared.

"For Alesia!"

The Alesian Legionnaires ran down in glee, hungry for revenge as they raced down the slope into the field directly in front of the supply depot. Little did they know that their luck was about to turn.

Baras was running alongisde his men when the first sign that something was wrong came in the form of dozens of missles shooting from the supply depot. Instantly hundreds of Legionnaires were down as the plasma tipped explosive warheads detonated around them. General Baras kept laughing as tens of thousands of clone warriors poured out like angry ants and ran at them firing their long rifles at the Alesians. He roared.

"Well, it looks like the cookie jar has a cover after all! Charge!"

The Alesians cheered. After all, who doesn't like a little blood of their enemy to wear as they raid a depot. It would make for a good story back home. The Alesians deployed plasma blades and dove into the crowd and started hacking and slicing their way through the crowds of clones. The clones were less adept at close combat than the legionnaires were. Cries of hatred and laughter deafened the battlefield, the sounds of plasma bolts and the roar of the guns were tremendous and overwhelming to normal human ears. The clones were at a disadvantage however as their rifles were swatted aside as the Legionnaires blew apart parts of their armor with blasters or cut off limbs and body parts from the clones. Cries of pain joined the crescendo of the battlefield as all across the field, explosions marked the spots where the missile and artillery batteries were aimed at, killing hundreds more Legionnaires with each burst, occassionally catching companies of clones in friendly fire out of sheer desperation on part of the defenders. The sheer speed and ferocity of the attacking Legions caught the clones offguard as the front line units were decimated within a few moments of the running battle. Both sides fought with bitter hatred in their hearts, uttering cries of victory or despair as both sides clashed in a bloodlust, vengeance in every warrior that fought that day. Every minute, thousands more died, their blood trickling to join the already blood soaked field as both armies clashed, the slaughter terrible to behold, the noise even more so. What was initially a well planned strike was quickly becoming one of the largest engagetments to be recorded in Alesian history, since all it took generally was one Alesian Legion to assimilate most worlds. Enough martial power for both sides have been gathered to conquer well over a dozen star systems, and it was concentrated in a slaughter field less than 2 kilometers wide. The Alesians poured in, desperate to unleash the wrath of the eagle at their foes and punish the clones for the genocide of the Alesian civilians.

However, despite the devestation of the front units, the clones kept running out. Baras was enjoying the battle as he killed 3 of the elites in quick succession. He laughed as he punched a clone in the face. The clone went down, his nose broken as he scrambled back and drew his pistol. Baras laughed.

"No! Put away your gun!"

Baras moved in a bur as he jumped up and stomped on the clone, his left boot crushing the clone's hand into a bloody pulp. A slash of blue plasma blades finished the clone off as Baras laughed and looked around. A hundred clones materialized from a defensive trench and he charged with 2 squads of legionnaires. The clones did not see the Alesian general until it was too late as he darted among them, untouchable by their weapons. The clones tried to back away from the majestic avatar of battle as Baras reaped through their ranks like a scythe through wild wheat. He laughed as he killed with cold efficiency, none could withstand the rapid assault from the lionized General of the Alesian 6th Fleet. The last clone fell before him firing his weapon in the air after Baras knocked the rifle up and thrusted a blade in the clone's stomach. The clone fell to the ground as Baras made his way to the end of the trench.

After a few moments, Baras walked out of the trench with his surviving escorts and assessed the battle. His men were doing fine, having downed hundreds of thousands of clones, but the clones were overwhelming individual legionnaires, using tactics to seperate the individual units and destroying them before manuvering the main body of Alesians to where they can get hacked again. Instinctively, he knew that the supply depot was too well guarded for his force alone. He had failed in his objective, despite inflicting massive casualties on the enemy. He frowned. Something was amiss. The enemy should not have been this numerous, not even for a heavily guarded supply depot. He called out over the secure Alesian communication channel.

"Fall back! Fall back! Rally point 2! Fall back! Regroup at Rally point 2! Moving out!"

He ran as the rest of his legionnaires disengage, retreating in good order, but leaving thousands of their comrades in front of the now advancing clones as they marched out in hot pursuit. Baras called into the headset.

"Baras to 6th Fleet! We are taking fire! Send down reserve units and bombard the depot! It's full of clones, not supplies and war materials! Request close air support, over!"

The reply was mostly static as it chirped weakly.

"Enemy ships attacking. There are hundreds of them! We are..."

The line went dead as Baras growled.

"A trap! Legionnaires! We are on our own! Nice day to go for a walk in the woods no?"

The Legionnaires jeered in reply, but were sombered by the fact they lost more than half their number. They ran along silently, the clones easily fell behind as they kept moving. Baras frowned as white armored soldiers appeared above them on the ridge. A Legionnaire cried out.

"Reinforcements! We are saved! The fleet made it after all!"

Baras swore.

"No you idiots! There are no reinforcements from orbit! They were most likely destroyed!"

But it was too late, most of the surviving legionnaires ran up the slope to meet the white armored warriors. The elites opened fire as the Legionnaires closed in, mowing down hundreds of survivors as more clones erupted from the woods, pouring fire into the depleted army of the Alesians. They were surrounded. The surprised Alesians fired back, but it was futile as the rest of the Legionnaires were mowed down. Even the rocky terrain provided no shelter as they were mercilessly mowed down. Gunfire peppered the trapped Alesians as there was no room to even move or spread out. The Alesians dropped like flies within a few moments. The slaughter continued until General Baras was the only one left standing. The Alesian growled as he stood alone, firing into the ranks of the clones and rushing at them. Suddenly he felt a pain as a disrupter sword slashed across his back. He grunted and rolled on the ground, deploying his plasma blades and facing none other than Chiyou in his blood red scale armor. Baras laughed.

"Look who it is! None other than the traitor Chiyou himself! And what a glorious day to fight it is!"

Baras laughed as he rushed the Tok'ra warlord, his plasma blades a blur as he clashed with the swirls of the disrupter field blade. The clones stood back, amazed at the ferociousness of the duel. The two figures fought, Chiyou with rage and Baras with uncontrolled laughter as the armored leaders fought for vengeance and glory. Statues and paintings would immortalize this scene years later, but even those paled in comparison to all those who witnessed the fight that day. Both warriors danced around each other, blurs to the normal eye as they dueled bitterly. But the fight could only have one victor and Chiyou roared in triumphant fury as he ran his blade through Baras stomach. The laughter on Baras' face died in midlaugh, he looked down to see the blade running red with his blood. Chiyou snarled as he ripped the blade out and Baras fell to the ground. His vision blurred as he fell to his knees, the ground was covered in the bodies of his fallen Legionnaires. He felt a kick to the back and he fell facedown. The laughing general laughed no more after that day. A Tok'ra commander walked up to Chiyou and saluted.

"My Lord, we captured one Legionnaire as you requested. The rest are all dead. The Alesian fleet is also destroyed. There were no escapees."

Chiyou's face curled into a smile.

"Good, send the Legionnaire home. He will spread the news of what happened here and fear will run rampant throughout the Alesian Empire. Meanwhile, dispose of these bodies."

"Yes, my Lord."


	37. First Victory of Averian IV

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 37: First Victory Of Averian IV**

_In Alesian High Command, 3 months later..._

Amann was reviewing holographic maps with General Ayen and Salen. Various other generals and Legates were there as well, pouring over other plans and avenues of attack left to them. Amann appeared tired, worn from the 5 months of brutal war that had seen much of his Empire left to ruin. He spoke.

"We need a victory, a big one, and soon. We have lost nearly 75% of the outer planets. That accounts for nearly 60% of our territory, but less than 5% of our infrastructure. We will be unable to get raw resources for new ships, but we have a sufficient stockpile to suffice our needs for a few months. After which we will be unable to use more unless we retake our territory. I know our main fleet is in our territory, but still trying to fight its way to us. 5 months of bloody slaughter and we have taken severe losses. 800,000 Legionnaires have given their lives to stave off the advance, along with 7 million of the Militia! At best we get draws, at worst we get staggering defeats where our defending forces are destroyed after overwhelming assault!"

Amann was angered.

"I want some answers gentlemen. I want a working strategy where we are able to win a victory! Any victory!"

General Ayen spoke.

"We know Chiyou has started to advance through the Mid-Region worlds. I have nearly 100 spare Legions to throw in the mix. That is 500,000 first rate Legionnaires. I also got a 2 million Militia reserve. We can make our stand over Averian IV. It is a fairly advanced human civilization. They recently mastered the use of Ion cannons and advanced hyperdrives. They provide a steady recruitment of good officers and men for the Militia. It is an important world. I say we make our stand there."

Amann nodded.

"Very well, we will make our stand there. I have nearly 250,000 Legionnaires from the reserve activated so far and they have been training relentlessly. They will reinforce your reserves at this world. This is very nearly an unprecedented force of Alesians in one place. This is enough firepower to utterly wipe out a star cluster. We are talking about enough Legions to suppress over a thousand star systems. Plus the large force of militia. If this does not stop Chiyou's armies, we are staring at eventual defeat. We must stop him here, before he wrecks critical infrastructure like shipyards and factories. If we fail here, he could cut off the Core Worlds from Alesia and lay siege to our homeworld. He could then strip Core World defenses with impunity while battering Alesian defenses, then he could finally take Alesia. He does that, its over for all of us."

The words hung over the group of generals like a black cloud. Ayen nodded.

"I will command the reserve force myself. I will take care of it."

Amann nodded.

"Very well General, but I will also go. I will participate in this battle."

Ayen was surprised.

"But sir..."

"Don't sir me, Ayen! I'm going! I've had enough of sitting safe on Alesia and watching as all I have built fall around me. No sir! I will go out and face my enemy! That is my final word."

Ayen nodded.

"Very well Councilor."

Amann nodded to a Legate.

"Prepare the Angelan for departure. I will leave tonight."

"For Alesia, Councilor."

"For Alesia."

--

_2 days later..._

The sun was shining over Averian IV. A flash was seen as the blue hyperspace windows appeared, dis-engorging over 500 Tok'ra warships. The Tok'ra Councilor Gershaw, now a General, turned and regarded his bridge crew.

"Report!"

One of the Kauri officers responded crisply.

"Scans indicate several large cities on this world. No sign of Alesian technology. Local defense forces appear present around the capital city. Reading about 2 million strong judging from their previous transmissions and the amount of naquadah power signatures in regards to their small arms."

Gershaw sneered.

"This world is ripe for the taking then. A fairly important Alesian world with no opposition by Alesian Legionnaires. Morale is low, so our spies tell us. We will simply have to crush the defending militia forces and this world is ours. Then we are free to kill any Alesian descended we find as decreed by Lord Chiyou. Bombard their defensive position around the capital city."

One of the clones manning the station responded.

"Uh sir? A defensive shield just went up around all of the cities. Seems like the Alesians have city shields on the surface. It is strong enough to deflect any bombardment."

Gershaw growled as his eyes glowed.

"Then we will land troops and hit them with a surface assault. Militia are weak. At best they are only even with our own regular soldiers, we have nearly 5 million soldiers in the assault force, plus ample reinforcement if we need it. We will land and destroy them in battle."

"Yes, my Lord."

--

_On the surface of Averian IV..._

The drop ships screamed down, out of range of the militia's anti air batteries. Clones rushed out as tanks were rolled down the massive ships. Several hundred ring platforms were also activated and more clones. Larger ships made their way down and they started to set up mobile command centers. The Tok'ra Councilor turned general smirked in satisfaction as he ringed down.

"The militia let us land unopposed. They cower in their emplacements, not daring to give us battle. I will call forth more reinforcements and give the militia a taste of superiority."

He ordered reinforcements to be brought and more transports were diverted. Within a few hours, they had arrived and were landing as well. Gershaw ordered the landing clones to advance on the capital city and take it for the Republic. With a cheer, the clones and their officers rushed into their formations. The infantry followed the tanks and walkers as the armored assault rumbled toward the enemy.

_5 miles away..._

The capital city was bustling as the citizens were hurrying into the shelters. The militia were rushing to the city's large reinforced walls and bunkers. The defensive towers were activated as the beam cannons and plasma turrets were activated and started scanning for active targets. They waited for the enemy. Little did the enemy know, but there were Alesian Legionnaires on the planet, and they couldn't wait to spring the trap. 500,000 Legionnaires were waiting in front of the defensive wall in a trench, their anti defense turrets and drone launchers all cloaked from the enemy. There were also nearly a thousand Predator walkers waiting to decloak. Standing 30 feet tall and posing a threat to both air units, armored units, and infantry, it was a fearsome weapon to behold in battle. The defensive line was nearly 5 miles long as each Legionnaire peered over the trench, cloaked and eager for action. General Ayen was standing upright scanning the approaching enemy formations. The ground started to rumble as he spotted the formations of the massed enemy as they gathered to storm the walls. He grinned as the first rank of vehicles ran into the anti-vehicle mines laid that very day. This made the clones more wary and post a line of skirmishers with mine scanners.

"Good. Almost time to nail the coffin shut."

He clicked his vox communicator 3 times to signal his men to arm their weapons and to let the group in the woods know the enemy was almost ready to be crushed. He gave orders verbally and they were passed along by word of mouth.

"Load the drones launchers. Set beam cannons to auto fire. Turrets target enemy infantry. Legions form up for defensive positions."

The Legionnaires prepped as the enemy got closer.

--

_Meanwhile..._

Amann ran along with several Legates through the woods until they came to a dense portion of trees. No tank could come through here due to the trees being too close together. But they provided excellent cover for infantry and good at hiding them from visual spotting. There were nearly 250,000 Legionnaires gathered in the woods. No less than 50 Legions were present. It was Amann who spoke first.

"Patres!"

The Legionnaires all cheered.

"Patres Amann!"

Amann shouted to be heard.

"You all know what is at stake here! If we fail here, the foul clones of Chiyou will be able to attack our homeworld. I will die here rather than allow that to happen! Brothers! What we do here in service to the Empire shall be honored for eternity! For Alesia!"

The Legionnaires yelled back.

"For Alesia!"

Amann nodded and started to run through the woods. They had nearly 10 miles to cover, but any closer to the enemy and it would be easier to detect them. Besides, he figured Ayen should get some of the fun. The men followed him with a cheer as they ran fast through the woods, their forms a blur to the normal human eye. Such was the speed of a Legionnaire in a full out run.

--

General Ayen strode along the trench as the enemy got closer. The drone launchers were loaded and readied as the Predators began to actively target. The turrets were turned on to passive mode and they immediately started to lock targets on specified infantry. Beam cannons were locked on as Militia pointed their plasma rifles and mortars at the enemy. Legionnaires likewise deployed their staff weapons and plasma wrist weapons and aimed. Hushed calls of ready were heard down the line and General Ayen nodded in affirmation. Finally, calls were issued to the men.

"Legionnaires! Draw and target!"

Ayen raised his hand and finally screamed out loud in a roar.

"LOOSE!"

Steams of red issued from the beam cannons as everyone de-cloaked and started firing. Streams of blue plasma issued from the massed infantry and anti personnel turrets and the front ranks of the clone skirmishers melted away within 2 seconds as the tank shields flared from the beam cannons. The tank shields and APC's tried to protect the infantry, but their shields failed from the massive firepower outputted from the defensive positions. Screams echoed as the massive jaffa sized bolts from the plasma turrets blew basketball sized holes in the clone infantry. Explosions dotted the field as hundreds of tanks were instantly decimated from the thousands upon thousands of drones fired from the 5 mile long position. The noise was tremendous, mixed in with cheers, roars of defiance and hatred, and the screams of the wounded. The crescendo of the various weapons firing and the explosions they caused only added to the din of the battle.

Adding to the fire was the Predators as they poured on red beams at the vehicles and firing sonic shock wave cannons at infantry companies, turning entire platoons into little more than bloodied pulp. The field was shielded in fire and soaked in blood as the horrific crossfire devastated the clone armor. The Alesians had positioned their defensive line in a short inverted V as to enclose the defenders in a withering crossfire. The clones tried to fire back with plasma shells and missiles, but many of the missiles were countered by drone fire. The main elements of the clone army were in disarray by the fierce and savage surprise defense. Despite this, they continued to advance and fired their weapons back, picking off hundreds of Legionnaires. General Ayen smiled as a red flare was shot up into the sky from the woods. It was time. He ordered his men to stand up.

"All right men! Ready! Charge! For Alesia! Let's mop up this rabble. Militia come behind and finish off wounded and isolated units! Legionnaires will storm the enemy strong points and decimate them! Charge!"

The men cheered loudly and deployed plasma blades, firing at the enemy attackers as they climbed the trenches and palisade, covering the now short distance to the clones. A full 100 Alesian Legions charged with a war cry, their eagle banners unfurled as they rapidly closed the distance. With a crash they collided into the decimated front units, cutting down clones with plasma blades and throwing antimatter grenades. The grenades flashed white and exploded with a concussive shock wave, blasting apart squads of clones in a bloodbath.

--

_Meanwhile..._

Amann was running through the woods as the Legionnaire ran behind them, the loud rumbling echoed throughout the woods as the white armored Legionnaires ran toward the enemy flank and rear positions.

"Hold the line! Stay with me! Keep in formation!"

Amann saw the woods thinning and he took out a pistol shaped weapon and fired a red flare as he cleared the woods to emerge several miles from the intial battlefield, but even the clones back here were feeling the intense fire as the beams and drones exploded among their ranks. Amann ran down the hill, jumping over a wall of fire into a mass of clones as the 50 Legions behind him did the same, throwing the rear elements of the enemy in confusion as a quarter of a million Legionnaires savagely struck their flank and rear. Tens of thousands of drones were fired at the vehicles and command buildings in the distance, the various structures and vehicles exploding as the drones homed in with deadly accuracy. Amann roared in triumph and roared out, thrusting a plasma blade into an Elite officer and wrenching it out, then kicking the clone to the ground and finished him with a head swipe.

"Alesian Victory!"

His men roared as well as they cut and slaughtered their way through the enemy armies. The clones fired back as they tried to hastily form a defensive line, but their rifles were ineffective at such a close range as the Alesians swatted them aside, the rifles still spitting trinium tipped explosive rounds, and killed clones with bursts of plasma to the head or a swipe of a plasma blade. The ground was soaked in clone blood as Amann grinned savagely, his normally calm demeanor changed as he uttered guttural cries of hatred and fury, killing enemies by the hundreds. Clones fell before him, unable to touch the Alesian High Councilor as he butchered his way through their ranks by sheer force. Sonic shock waves created by Amann's mind exploded around the clones, bursting their bodies apart like a watermelon. Entire platoons cried out in pain as they found their armor being crushed in on their bodies. Amann snarled in hatred as he cleaved a bloody path for his Legionnaires to follow. The banners of the Alesian Eagle was held high as the Legions advanced grimly, slicing their way through the clone ranks like a scythe through wild wheat.

Amann was Death Incarnate as he fought with both his mind and body. While his mind killed off entire clone companies and battalions, he was busy blasting a path with plasma blasters and killing anyone that came too close with a blur of blue plasma blades. Amann grinned ferally as his eye caught what he knew had to be a command vehicle. He made his way toward it with a animal gleam, blood lust in his eyes.

--

_100 yards away..._

Gershaw was frantically screaming into a headset, knowing his army was in a bad position. Several dozens battalions were already routed, its remnents running into adjacent units and causing further disorganization and confusion. He screamed into the communicator.

"Fight to the death! Ask for orbital bombardment!"

A clone next to him shouted.

"Sir, the fleet reports they are under massive attack from an Alesian fleet. Hundreds of ships! They are losing, sir!"

Suddenly they both heard a metal thump and both the general and clone turned around in the turret to find themselves face to face with a savage looking Amann. Amann growled as he killed the clone with a burst to the head.

"Tok'ra scum!"

Amann grabbed the Tok'ra general by the shoulders and picked him up off the turret and flung him into the blood soaked mud with a thud. Amann jumped off the turret as Gershaw scrambled to draw his pistol. Amann stomped down on the arm and crushed the arm with a nasty sounding crack. Gershaw screamed in pain as Amann picked him up by the armor and held him up.

"Like the rest of your pathetic race, weak and undisciplined!"

Amann's armored hands found the Tok'ra's throat and started to choke the life out of him, his eyes boring into the Tok'ra councilor. The Tok'ra was afraid of the mad gleam in Amann's eye. It terrified him to see the madness in Amann's face. Amann throttled the Councilor until he was dead, the neckbones and vertebrae coming undone from his grip. With a snarl, Amann threw the limp body into a mass of clones and jumped into the middle of them, killing the entire mass of them. He punched a clone twice in the face before cutting down the entire length of the clone with a sizzling blade.

Suddenly he felt a body crash into the back of him and he stumbled slightly. He turned around with a roar and grabbed the man, a Legionnaire. The Legionnaire tried to back up and Amann halted as he recognized a friendly soldier. He grinned at the Legionnaire and the Alesian smiled back slightly. Amann released him and continued cutting his way through the ranks. He growled as he spotted a clone soldier wielding a plasma flamer and cooking 4 Legionnaires alive with it. Amann pointed a plasma blaster and fired, annihilating the clone where he stood. Several squads of Legionnaires clustered around Amann, firing at enemies as Amann advanced forward, climbing over the piled bodies of his enemies.

--

_20 minutes later..._

Amann met General Ayen in the center of the field, clambering over the clustered bodies of the wounded and dead, their blood intermingled into the mud. With the main force of clones dead, the Legionnaires walked along the dead, killing wounded clones and helping wounded comrades up. They had no mercy for the clones. It was revenge for the clone murders of the Alesian civilians. Amann panted hard as he looked around the blood soaked field that was wreathed in fire and wrecked vehicles. Predators stomped the landscape as the remnents of the clones fled the battlefield in the only route left open to them. Amann smiled savagely as they did. He clicked into his communicator and spoke.

"All Eagle flights, strike indicated coordinates."

He gave the coordinates and hundreds of Alesian fighters and local VTOL craft flew from the city. They fired drone weapons and dropped incendiary bombs on the enemy clones. The clones screamed in pain as fire engulfed them. Concentrations of troops were strafed by pulse cannon fire as the fighters dove in and closed on the kill. Amann watched mercilessly and snarled in spite and hatred.

"Burn! Burn, you bastards, burn!"

Amann watched as the last remnants of the clones were eliminated, the last few thousand survivors fleeing into the woods. They would be dealt with easily. He turned to General Ayen.

"Well, we have ourselves a tangible victory for once. 5 months of slaughter and we got a victory!"

A Legionnaire ran up.

"Sir, the fleet in orbit reports the enemy destroyed. A few enemy ships got away, but most of them did not escape the trap. But there is bad news."

Amann sighed as he wiped the blood off his armor.

"What is it?"

"4 more Mid Region planets have fallen! Chiyou has opened up a path to Alesia, abiet a more indirect route!"

Amann put an armored hand to his head in frustration.

"Damn it! We stop his offensive thrust here and he outmaneuvers us again! I am tired of this! General Ayen, prepare our forces to leave this world and defend Alesia! Leave a small force here to mop up survivors. This world is secure for now. See to it General."

"It will be done, Councilor."


	38. Red Sun Rising

Author Notes:

Sorry about the delay, but college and work been draining me :P I got another chapter in the works as well. Please review and comment! I do write these stories for the reviews :P

Also I recommend Vexmaster's and Col. Foley's stories if you enjoy my own. You can find their stories in my profile favorites. I don't have that many under my favorites, so it should be easy to find. :P The links to both of their profiles are here.

.net/u/1272704/VexMaster

.net/u/1646993/Col_Foley

They have given me some ideas for my stories and have helped me improve the quality of my writing over the course of the past year. :) I did see the first few chapters of my story were rather rough and I think they have helped improve my writing by alot with suggestions and critique.

I also got forums set up as well on here to discuss my stories. Please visit them and ask questions :) Also feel free to contribute ideas and discuss the stories.

.net/forum/The_Muse_of_Amann0407/63118/

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 38: Red Sun Rising**

Chiyou was sitting in his quarters onboard his flagship, meditating. It helped him relax and clear his thoughts for the battles ahead. A chime was heard, signaling someone was outside. He opened his eyes and stood up.

"Come!"

The door opened and Sel'mak strode into, his red armor blending in with the red lights that illuminated ChiYou's quarters. Chiyou straightened his robe and greeting one of his most senior commanders.

"Ah, General Sel'mak. Welcome. What news do you bring?"

Sel'mak inclined his head.

"My Lord. I bring grave news. Gershaw is...dead."

Chiyou's eyes glowed in anger and shock.

"What?! Gershaw is dead? How?"

At ChiYou's scream-like shock, Selmak/Jacob nodded with deep sorrow in his eyes.

"Amann had prepared a trap on Averian and our forces were overwhelmed and ambushed. The last reports from the surviving observation teams report that Amann had personally killed Gershaw."

ChiYou's eyes glowed in red rage. The stone table in front of him crumbled as his psychic might pulsed around his hand devices.

"Then Amann will pay doubly for all his crimes! Come!"

The great War God stood up and led Sel'mak, the High Commander of the Tok'ra Officer Corps, and a dozen Kauri officers. They were led to a large room where nearly a hundred clone vats were standing. Each vats contained a human, and next to the vat were small vats containing a symbiote. ChiYou left the Kauri officers and took only Selmak to one of the vats. Inside the vat was a man, strong and handsome, yet gentle around the eyes. The label on the small vat said 'Gershaw of Belote' while the label on the big vat was named 'Clone Host'. ChiYou narrowed his eyes as he tapped a few buttons attached to the two vats. The 'Clone Host' was ringed away, and the vat was filled with something thicker than water. The label changed from 'Clone Host' to 'Combat Clone Host'. ChiYou turned to Selmak.

"It will take at least a month for this clone to mature. I need someone to replace Gershaw."

Selmak thought for a moment, then dipped his head. It was Jacob's turn to speak.

"I have suggestions."

ChiYou nodded as they moved out of the clone chamber.

"Yes, Jacob. While Selmak is a great agent, you are the general. Speak to me."

"Well, we are lacking sufficient high-ranking commanders to maintain a chain of command. With Gershaw and six other Tok'ra Generals dead... we have lost a large portion of our Vanguard fleet's officers."

Chiyou nodded as he looked at a clone tube carrying a woman.

"Yes... Although we have recovered the body of my queen, it will take time to revive her... Until then, we must rely on those we have."

He turned toward Sel'mak again, who nodded. Chiyou spoke again.

"But, until more Tok'ra arrive from their missions within the Goa'uld domain, we lack in officers."

Jacob nodded.

"I might suggest High Councilor Per'sus. He was a great warrior of his time."

"If I choose him, who will command the Tok'ra back in the Milky Way? You know that this war may well spread into the Pegasus galaxy, for I know that they are beyond this galaxy alone."

"I could return to Sol'ran and take command."

"No... You are my closest advisor, and I need you at this critical time. Find someone to take care of the Tok'ra while Per'sus is here with us."

Selmak spoke again.

"Yes, my lord."

"How are things going with Tok'ra on Sol'ran? Are they happy with the new homeworld I have provided them?"

"They are most pleased, my lord. With our queen being healed in that special healing chamber, we are hopeful that our numbers may swell again, and this time without the worry of new hosts."

"Yes, cloning is an excellent source of hosts. There is no need to take over other people. Remember to dispatch those Elites and Clones for the defence of Solran. My queen must not be harmed again when she finally awakens."

"Of course, great father. Egeria will be safe."

ChiYou nodded.

"What of my reinforcements?"

"Another 3 million Clones arrived today plus 2000 Elites. The Elite are greatly effective."

"True, but even my resources are not quite infinite enough to make too many more. I believe another 6 million Clones will arrive by the end of this month, but we will have to take care as the reserve units are almost spent. Do not expect more than 5 million Clones for the next three months."

"I understand. I will place the new arrivals under Per'sus once he arrives."

"I will prepare a good combat host for Per'sus."

"Yes, my lord."

Then as they passed a door, a woman ran up to them, her eyes filled with tears.

"Is it true? Is Gershaw dead?"

Selmak grabbed her.

"Yes, I am sorry, Yosuuf. However, Lord ChiYou is reviving him. Do not worry."

"Oh... Please, just bring him back to me. These months without him has been too painful."

ChiYou sighed and nodded.

"I understand, Yosuuf. When this is all over, he will return to you. I promise it."

**Milky Way Galaxy: Mid Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Berian IV**

**Day 1 - 20:16:03**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 5**

The planet was a lush green one. Its 200 million or so civilian population happily going about their lives alongside the 7 Alesian Legions that protected them. The Alesians have taken this planet, which was once covered in blood. The feudal warlords on this world had driven the war to the point where the human population was almost extinct, and the terrifying wild creatures that dominated the planet did not help the situation. It had been nearly a thousand years, and despite their presence, the Alesians allowed the locals to develop on their own pace. Now, the Berians reached the level of technology and society comparable to that of Earth, except for the size of population, as the birth control was greatly welcomed by the locals.

The Alesians recruited the fierce peoples of Berian into the militia, which formed some of the finest regiments in the Militia. They were naturally used to fighting, and given the Alesian technology, were deadlier than the typical militia regiment.

The militia regiments were formed into 1000 man units that were grouped into brigades. Commanded by a fine officer corps trained by the Alesian Military Institute, they commanded men who were grim faced and used to the harsh realities of war. The wars were over, but the legacy remained with these grim people. The plains of the planet were occasionally used in war games with the Alesian Legions, who knew the ground well and fought in the rolling terrain that would be encountered on alot of worlds. This aided the militia units and the Legions stationed here, since they knew the ground extremely well and could plot points and calculate distances without consulting a data pad or holographic map, which was an advantage against an enemy that was not so familiar with it.

The Legions on the planet were very familiar with the people and the land as well. In fact, many have lived on the planet for at least a century, and had even moved their families to this lush planet. Such things were encouraged in order to relieve population pressure from the Core Region planets.

Thus, the Legions felt that this planet was their second home, second only to Alesia itself. They would die to protect this world. Although they were rather isolated because of the sparse nature of the planets in this area of galaxy, they kept contact through Stargates, and they heard of a war that had enveloped the Alesian Empire. They did not, however, suspect that war would reach them here.

**Berian IV**

**Extreme High Orbit**

**Local Long Range Defence Sensor Station**

The Alesian built sensor station/satellite was usually manned by engineers rather than Legionnaires. They kept the station intact and functioning. They spent their time relaying sub-space communications between Outer Region and Inner Region, especially if the communication was inefficient through the Stargate. They also had a couple of weapons aboard to strike down any meteors that might impact the planet. On this particular day, they detected at at least 50 large objects approaching at extreme high speed. In fact, they moved in hyperspace which was odd to them.

A dozen hyperspace windows formed and they spewed out about sixty ships, all of Tok'ra Republic.

The station was not equipped to deal with such a threat, they were frantically scrambling to get to the escape pods and turned the laser beams on the station to fire at the Tok'ra fleet. Warning broadcasts were beamed down to the planet, the channels were jammed with warnings and sensor information from the satellite.

It did not take much for the Tok'ra Strike Group to quickly destroy the satellite, but they did miss the escape pods. They were not interested in them. The moment they made orbit, the 11 ships of the Tok'ra Strike Group began to fire on the planet, focusing on the 7 major cities that contained most of the planet's population.

The Tok'ra general in charge of this detachment was surprised to find when the weapons fire encountered city shielding. The bombardment fired down on the cities, the bombardment being dispursed harmlessly as the shields flared angrily.

The Kauri captain of the ship came next to the Tok'ra general.

"Sir, I believe that the people in the escape pods have alerted the cities of our presence."

"Undoubtedly. The satellite we destroyed was most likely a sensor array designed to detect fleet movements. The pods are landing near the cities I take it?"

"Yes, sir. Hmm... They slowed their decent and somehow passed through the shield. I believe that the shield would allow slow physical objects through like the Goa'uld's personal shielding."

The Tok'ra general nodded.

"It is likely. These defensive shields, save those in pure Alesian cities, must allow slow moving objects to pass through because of the ground. It puts too much of a strain on the shield if they tried to prevent slow moving object from passing through. A militia theater shield."

"Just as Lord ChiYou has predicted. Unfortunately, our artillery do not have enough physical ammunition of such type to break through their shielding. Maybe a hundred shots per city at maximum."

The Tok'ra groaned.

"That would not be enough to damage their cities. It will take at least a thousand Delayed Explosive shells to cripple each city... This would be difficult, but not impossible... Especially without their fleets."

"If we came with a bigger fleet and had stronger Protoss weapons, we could have penetrated their shields."

"True, but not logistically possible at the moment. Our main ships are focused in battles against Alesian fleets."

The Tok'ra rubbed his eyes quickly.

"It will have to be a ground campaign. Armored assault followed by heavy infantry attacks. How many forces are on the planet?"

We cannot tell, sir. The Alesian forces are mainly focused in their cities and the lifesigns are too mixed in the cities. Sir, the ground forces commanders report that they have selected a suitable landing zone. They are requesting bombardment of the area."

"Any enemy forces in the area? If it there is no troops, no need to waste energy or ammunition."

"There is... a small military compound in the middle of nowhere, but it appears to be a communication relay and its defenders. Not Alesian Legionnaires, but probably a small militia force. A few shots from our main weapons would do the trick, sir."

The Tok'ra nodded.

"Fire at will, but conserve your ammunition. I do not like the lack of ships or defensive grid over this world. It reeks of a trap. I want to be prepared to counter an Alesian ambush."

"Yes, General. I will inform the High Command that we have begun our seige to the planet. Should we report our estimated timetable for conquest? They would ask for one for this planet. It would be an important passage into the southern sectors of the Mid Region, sir."

"Yes, give them an estimate, but be sure to leave a wide estimate. We do not know how many defenders there are."

"Yes, sir. I will inform them that we would most likely to have conquered this world within a week to the maximum to two weeks."

The Tok'ra sneered.

"A week? Against this militia world? They fight well, but they are outmatched. There might be one Alesian Legion on this world, but it is far outnumbered."

His tone calmed down as well.

"Also ask for more delayed explosive shells. We would need them especially for the mountain stronghold that is indicated....here. A ground assault would be a stupid idea there."

"Yes, general. I shall relay the report at once!"

_On the surface..._

Upon the charred flat plains, where the ruins of a communication tower was sprawled upon the corpses of the one hundred militia, the giant Tok'ra Transport ships began to land.

They were a few cloaked Alesian Legionnaires observing the landing. They relayed information to their superiors in the other cities. The Alesian General in charge of this world had no less than 7 elite Legions of Alesia's finest soldiers at his command. A hard bitten veteran of the Wraith war over 10,000 years ago, he was used to fighting what he colorfully called "crowd control". He was an accomplished general by the name of Galen. While not as prestigious or as energetic as the successful Ayen, he was a formidable strategist with a scarred face. He preferred to keep the scars, since he felt it made him look more formidable. The soldiers under him had mixed feelings about him. While they initially disliked Galen for his harsh discipline and almost brutal methods of enforcing them, they nevertheless respected his competence and his ability to lead.

The giant transports began to land, unloading their 1000 strong Infantry Company on the ground. Alesians had little use for specialized troop transport, since they could simply ring or beam down their troops, but Galen could see that the sheer number would have strained even the most advanced beaming technology.

He pondered the defensive strategies. He had to keep all the major cities under his control and repel the enemy. It was more difficult than it looked, but not undoable. He had nearly 100,000 militia on hand as well as 32,000 Legionnaires. Some were with the Legion's ships at Averian, but he had the majority of his fighting strength here.

The real question was if these few paltry thousands of Clones were all that attacked this planet. He assumed that it was not. He expected a lot more to happen and happen quickly. His instinct was not betrayed as several super-transports arrived within hours to unload the soldiers.

As he recieved reports from ground sensors about the new transport ships coming down, he realized he was correct in his dispursal of forces. The landing would be unopposed, he realized that if he moved his soldiers out of the shields, the ships in orbit would blow his valuable legions apart. So he decided to wait and surprise the enemy by beaming reinforcements to hot points.

He realized that while the places for his force to defend was numerous, so the enemy had to attack as many places as well. In this he had an advantage. He had beaming technology while the clones did not. Also, Alesian beams could not be jammed nowhere near as easily as Asgard teleport beams. 20,000 years of research into military technologies left the Alesians with significantly more advancements over the Asgard in this respect.

As the smaller transports landed one by one, six massive spaceships, each with ten regular transports docked in their sides. These huge ships were the hidden secret behind Tok'ra capability to move such large number of troops. Each of these monstrously large transports carried at least 50,000 Clones plus numerous vehicles and supplies. Guarded by the Strike Group, the six ships made orbit, and the transports that were docked to the main ship began to ferry troops down, 1000 of them at a time.

Galen was surprised at the clones rapid deployment and their wide range of vehicles. From armored tanks and armored personnel walkers to the venerable blue wolves.....he soberly realized the clones could match any threat to them. The artillery was formidable as he read the scan reports by forward observers.

The transports continued to come down from the sky, some of them carrying large objects under their belly. The Clones quickly assembled the large pieces and turned them into structures. At an incredible speed, the Clones managed to construct a communication array and crude walls around their little compound. Galen narrowed his eyes as the mighty tanks, deployed for the first time in the Mid Region planets, slowly hovered down the ramps of the transports and positioned themselves around the compound. The huge double-barrel tanks with treads were already moving out, but the smaller hover tanks set themselves down and acted as defense turrets.

Galen did have a fairly large force of Predator walkers however, but he could have had many more walkers if he didn't deploy them with the fleet to aid in the Averian Campaign. He had a force of about 40 Predators, which were fine war machines and were agile in battle. In addition, he also had a large supply of drone launchers. His force was small but due to their elite Legion status, were very well equipped to repel an armored assault.

One of the Legionnaires came up and whispered.

"General, sir... One of their camps is moving out. The one to the east. Estimated size at 30,000 plus artillery pieces and vehicles. Their direction indicates that they are heading to the city of Orasus."

General Galen nodded slightly, his scarred features standing out in the dim light of the display.

"Very well. Deploy the 20th Legion to reinforce the 54th Legion. Also deploy 10 more Predator walkers. That will give them 15 Predator walkers to counter any attack by armored vehicles."

One of the Legates who came with Galen frowned.

"What of their vehicles. We have read about those small infantry support vehicles but there was nothing about those big ones. Could they possibly pose a threat?"

Galen studied them.

"They pack big guns, but are less mobile than a Predator walker. It is doubtful they are as agile. Nevertheless, the first priority of the drone launchers and Predators would be to shoot the heavy tanks down. We can take care of infantry easily enough. Just keep the vehicles occupied until they are destroyed."

"General, look at these scans. It is possible that these points are shield emitters. If they are protected by enough shielding, and they get a chance to fire their weapons at our Legionnaires, it might cause us grave casualties."

"Then we will make sure they die first. Even to the point of ignoring the infantry advance. Clones are less dangerous in close quarters since their rifles are fairly bulky and they cannot wield them as easily as Legionnaire blasters."

"Yes, general. They sure are many... Wait... Look at those..."

They quickly used their zoom function in their helmets to witness several hundred huge soldiers in heavy armors and carrying very large guns.

"What are they?"

Galen looked at them and made the connection quickly.

"These must be the elites we read about in the reports. Intelligence reports have circulated about these Elites and their capabilities. They are supposedly even deadlier than clones."

"They look big, but they don't seem that tough..."

"Don't underestimate the enemy, Legate. I would not judge them until I have seen a battle with them. They are obviously competent enough to push us out of nearly 60% of our territory."

That's because those territories were Outer Region... They didn't have much defense to talk about."

Galen growled.

"You are too proud Legate Haman. It will cost you if you are not careful."

"Yes sir."

The Clone army of nearly 30,000, supported by vehicles and powerful artillery pieces, moved toward the city of Orasus. It was one of the 7 cities where most of the planet's population now resided. The city of Orasus was not the largest city, but it was one of the most prosperous. It was a thriving hub for trade with the other 6 cities and its citizens were proud of being dominant in much of the merchant and business areas of the planet.

The people were tense however, as reports of defeat after Alesian defeat swept into the civilian channels. They knew their wealth would most likely vanish if the Alesians were outright conquered. Recruitment into the Militia had risen by nearly 300% since then and more men were sent to the Legion training camps on Alesia itself. The people were grimly polishing their guns as well. They were fully prepared to wage a guerrilla war if it was necessary, even if the Legions and Militia were defeated on this world.

The city was lined with stone walls. They dated back to antiquity with the various clan and feudal warlords fighting it out, but with the arrival of the Alesians 1000 years ago, they had not really needed the walls. They were mostly maintained as a landmark and historic site more than anything else.

Now, something else has happened that it had not been for a thousand years. War has come to the city, and to the whole planet. The Militia and the civilians were quickly directed by the Legionnaires to repair and reinforce the antique walls. They needed all of the help they could get. The factories that produced eco-friendly concrete-like substance began to churn out huge quantities of the material. After all, they only had hours to prepare. With the Legionnaires guaranteeing that the substance can be dried and hardened quickly, the civilians began to haul them on the walls. Aided by modified force fields, they began to reinforce the walls when the dust in the distance revealed the approaching war. The 2 Legions were dug in front of the city, in trenches and small field works. They preferred to fight out in the open or at least have the ability to attack offensively.

However, they were not quite prepared for the huge army that slowly moved toward them. While they were advanced and experienced, they had no war and not even a real fight during last 1000 years. Only the few Legions that fought the Wraith that pervasively infested the Pegasus galaxy had any real fights during the periods of peace. But the Legions were familiar with their weapons and many veterans were in their ranks that had fought bitter and brutal wars. Many were even older than their more senior commanders. The 2 Legions were among the oldest and most dedicated of the Legions, and this was as much their home as Alesia was. They were determined to hold out.

Suddenly, the shields over the city flared as powerful ionised particle shells struck it. It was from the Clones' artillery pieces that fired super-accelerated particles encased in ionized pulses. It would have been deadly to shields with limited energy supply. However, the city shield was able to fend off artillery strikes with ease, since it was designed to counter orbital bombardment and the power supplies for each city was formidable with antimatter reactors keeping the power stable.

As the minutes passed, more shells fell on the shield and the number of impact became greater still. Beginning to appear as if it was raining plasma bolts. The Militia jeered at the futile artillery attack, but the Legionnaires were silent. They knew it was only a distraction for the incoming assault they knew was to come.

The medium artillery pieces fired Multi-Plex Energy shell, which was a derivative of Protoss weapon. Known as Scarabs, the Protoss self-propelled artillery shell from machines called Reavers, were powerful explosive weapons, but ChiYou modified it so that it would be greater use against enemy positions by turning it into spreadable ammunition. Each shell exploded into a dozen small pieces that exploded. Unfortunately, it was not quite so effective against the immense shielding power of the defenders. The shield held firm and after a while, the artillery stopped firing, realizing their shells were having little to no effect.

As the Alesians and the locals cheered, they saw lines of smoke. Another artillery barrage, and they didn't think too much on it. That was a mistake. The shells fell slowly, as if they were balloons, but they were dark in color. Though still too fast to intercept with infantry weapons, these things fell through the shields, and just as they entered the shield, they shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. Each piece fell, mostly upon the civilians on the walls, and they exploded with violent cruelty.

The Alesians were not pleased with this development as orders were passed. The Legate of the 20th Legion screamed out as his men ran to portable drone launchers.

"Lock drones on target! Fire when targeted!"

"Target is set! Ready to fire!"

"Fire!"

Hundreds of drones were shot out of the launchers from the computerized turrets, which streamed in toward the artillery pieces. No sooner the drones were outside the shields, thousands of tiny bolts of blue energy came from where the artillery pieces were, shooting down most of the drones. The Blue Wolves positioned themselves in order to counter the drone attacks. The few drones that made to their targets simply exploded against the shields of the artillery pieces.

The Legate of the 20th swore. He had no counter battery pieces to combat the enemy with. But as he thought, he did. He ordered the local militia commander to see him at once. The commander, a general in the Militia, saluted the Legate.

"Sir!"

"At ease, Militant General. I believe we have several artillery pieces available to us?"

"Yes sir!"

"Deploy them then. Let's give them a taste of counter fire. Their artillery is self propelled, so you will need load out of anti-armor shells."

As more of the Delayed Explosive shells fell into the city, the Legionnaires prepared to fight back, taking advantage of the militia's artillery. The militia rolled out the artillery pieces in front of the walls, sighting the old pieces. They were old, but serviceable and were effective for the role they were called upon. The captain of the reserve artillery was a grizzled veteran who knew how to aim his guns. He called out with a growl.

"Counter-battery fire! Range is 7 clicks! 5 second delay fuse. Load anti-armor shell!"

"Yes, sir!"

The militia's artillery shells flew toward the Clones but the suddenly movements by the heavy tanks had unexpected consequences. The large, treaded twin-barrel tanks fired missiles on their sides, and the missiles exploded into a white gas cloud. When the artillery pieces met the white cloud, they exploded. The explosion was greater than what was supposed to be, but they had exploded before reaching the target. The Legate was seriously annoyed by the results as his guns refused to silence the clone's artillery. He was about to order the guns to cease firing when the artillery stopped firing.

The Legate looked around. Thus far, about a hundred of those slow shells had fallen, and caused grievous damage to the people, but the damages to the structures were quite minimal. He sighed as he rallied his men once more.

The artillery pieces were pulled back from the front lines, sighting shells from forward observers and knowing an infantry assault was inevitable. They loaded anti-personnel shells into their pieces. A nasty piece of work, it was able to fire large 175 mm shells loaded with ball bearings and the shell was made to shrapnel as well, causing untold devastation to infantry regiments. The real question was how effective it would be against this new enemy who appeared so formidable.

The tanks moved forward, followed by the APCs and Humvees, and then by the Clone Infantries. The powerful shields of the tanks and Humvees protected the infantry while the tanks fired their weapons. The hover tanks fired their energy shells, though it was useless against the shield. The twin-barreled heavy tank held its fire, but all could see the giant cannons and three automated Tri-B guns mounted on a pintle.

The artillery was loaded once more, this time with anti infantry fire targeted at the infantry. The vehicles would be dealt with by the Legionnaires as the grizzled battery commander listened to the reports coming in and he screamed orders.

"Infantry charge! Suppression fire! Range, 5 kilometers! 3 second delay fuse. Set for air burst!"

The guns were fired, but the bearings did not pierce the front part of the shields. The only effective barrage came when the shells fell behind the tanks and APC's, hitting the shield where it was weakest.

However, as the Clones approached closer, the apprehension grew. Finally, the first heavy tank crossed into the shield, temporarily shutting down its shield to stop it from clashing against the larger shield. It took a few seconds to get it back up, but the Alesians fired their blasters at it. The tank was made of sturdy stuff and it simply ignored the powerful plasma bolts.

Then a Predator targeted it with a beam cannon and a large red beam clashed against the raised shielding, finally breaking through and blowing the tank up after a sustained burst. The Legionnaires were not impressed. It took the full charge of the Predator's beam weapon to take down a single tank, and even blown up, its remaining two Tri-B turrets aimed at the Alesian positions and fired. The compartmentalization of ChiYou's vehicles surprised even the Alesians. They never thought to divide up their systems so markedly.

The Predators targeted the tanks with their beam cannons, killing several more tanks, but the weight of numbers started to overwhelm even the Predators as the clones got closer to the defensive lines. Blue plasma bolts from both anti personnel turrets and Alesian blasters rained on the tanks and any exposed infantry, but the advance continued.

The surviving heavy tanks quickly fired their weapons at the Predators, their incredibly powerful shells exploding against the shields and eventually overwhelming them. As the heavy tanks fell, so did the Predators, albeit at slower pace. Then the medium tanks joined in, their energy shells exploding and showering the militia and infantry with plasma. The heavy tanks fired what Tok'ra called Charged Naquadah Reactive shell. Each shell contained a small piece of super-enriched Naquadah that has been super-charged with pure energy, then is set upon a trigger. Explosions from them were catastrophic and the EMP generated from the explosions enough to knock out Predator's shields in few shots.

Drones flew toward the medium tanks, by the hundreds as drone after drone were fired at the medium tanks. The Heavy tanks were mostly out of action, although they took out 10 of the Predator walkers at a cost of about 30 of their own prized heavy tanks. The surviving Predators fell back as the Alesians started to withdraw from their positions in confusion as the tanks started up the hill. Although the medium tanks were not quite tough or come with extra weapons, the Blue Wolves that came with the infantry, as well as the Clones firing their heavy weapons into the air cut down the number of drone reaching the target by at least half. The most effective of this was the back-mounted Broad-Beam Projector, which fired a broad beam of highly corrosive disruptor pattern energy. They were initially meant to open passages into buildings or walls from the side by creating holes, but ChiYou had agreed that it would be a good short-range counter against enemy heavy projectiles such as drones. The only disadvantage being its heavy weight, thus needing two to carry and use it, and that it was short range. However, even that could not save all the tanks, as the drones managing to destroy nearly twenty medium tanks.

The Alesians were forced back however as they were pushed down the opposing slope of the hill. Fire from the city helped kill another 10 medium tanks, but they started to roll over the former Alesian positions with ease and fired at the retreating Alesians. The 20th Legion held firm, but its flank was turned while the 54th was driven down the slope, having bore the brunt of the attack.

The 54th Legion was driven down the hill, cowering at the base of the reverse slope of the hill as tanks and infantry fired down at them, pinning the Legion down. The Legate of that legion was trying to rally his men. He had the Legion banner with the Alesian Eagle emblazoned on it. He cried out.

"Come on 54th! Hold them!"

A stream of bullets struck his shield, but he ignored it. The screams of the men dying and the explosions were keeping the men pinned down, unable to effectively fight the tanks back as shells exploded among their ranks. Streams of bullets singled out profiles and dozens of men fell at once to the barrage.

The Legate screamed at his men to rally and hold, turning slightly to point up at the enemy. Suddenly a burst of bullets struck his armor, penetrating it and striking him in the heart. He coughed up blood and fell solidly on his back, dead before he hit the ground. The Clones pushed forward relentlessly. A dozen Clones jumped up above the low barricades and fired into the Alesians as they scrambled to retreat, firing upon their heads or their backs. The Clones knew no honor, they only knew war.

The Legionnaires grimaced in pain and anger as they watched their Legate fall to the ground killed by the clones. A Centurion ran forward and grabbed the fallen banner. He screamed in fury to his unit.

"Come on! Take the hill!"

Bullets struck the Centurion as well, wounding him severely, but he planted the banner into the ground and leaned on it to steady himself. The men roared as one.

"Charge! For Alesia!"

Suddenly, five Tok'ra shuttles flew overhead, through the shields. They fired plasma weapons into the ranks of Alesians as they ringed down. From the rings came out the Elites of the Clones. Aided by the Elites, the Clones quickly took position as they relentlessly fired into the charging Legionnaires, their feet soon covered in mounds of empty magazines and shell casings. Several drones lanced out in response to the Tok'ra shuttles, quickly downing them as they fell in a massive fireball, exploding on the ground and sending fire everywhere.

The Legionnaires pressed back up the hill, firing their plasma weapons back. Hundreds of Legionnaires fell, but the mass of Legionnaires broke into the hastily set up clone positions, where they dueled the infantry with blades and overwhelmed the tanks, who were furiously firing, but could not stop the sudden charge of the Legionnaires, who were driven by rage over the death of their Legate.

The tide of battle was in balance as the Clones, trained from the moment of their creation, and the Legionnaires, warriors of many centuries, fought each other with fury untamed. The Elites shined as they crushed into the Alesians, their recent upgrades allowing greater torso strength through motorized arms and extra chest armor plating. An Elite clicked a button on his Tri-B rifle with his thumb, and a long bayonet appear in the front of the gun, and he deftly shoved the blade into the neck of a Legionnaire just as he tried to cut the Elite Clone with plasma blades. Then a Clone fired at the Elite, but the Elite knew that it was probably not as it appeared. Indeed, the Clone saved the Elite by shooting at the head of a Legionnaire who was about to slice the Elite in half from behind. The bullets knocked the Legionnaire back, but didn't finish the job.

The Legionnaires fought hard, firing drones point blank into the vehicles and reactivating their plasma turrets, which fired streams of blue plasma at the clones trying to reinforce their position, which was desperate action for both sides as they crashed into each other. The new Legate of the Legion was the 1st Battalion commander named Sykes. He cut down a clone commander after destroying the command platoon escorting the commander.

The Elite reached down with his left hand, suddenly magnetic power sending the combat knife to fly into his hand. Then he unceremoniously drove the blade right into the gap in the helmet. Before he could recover, Sykes fired a volley of plasma into the Elite's head, blasting it off.

Sykes drove right into the Elites with a dozen of his best Legionnaires, roaring a battle cry and began to fight with blades. The fighting was fierce as the Legionnaires fought with feral ferocity. They all roared as one.

"For Legate Vera! For the 54th! For Alesia!"

A Legionnaire suddenly dived, knocking Sykes aside just as a medium tank fired right at Sykes. Two Legionnaires who stood where the energy shell fell died horrendously along with six Clones who surrounded them.

The hilltop was alight with fire as the destroyed tanks burned where they were destroyed, the surviving tanks were being picked off at close range with drone weapons, which were now able to hit the tanks with unerring accuracy now that the interference from the Blue Wolves was unable to stop drones fired point blank.

The medium tank haughtily stared at Sykes and moved its cannon toward the man once more. It was one of the few tanks that survived. Suddenly, it exploded, shattering into thousands of pieces. Sykes looked around, and the militia had found several anti-vehicle weapons from their armory and mounted them on the walls. However, Sykes knew that they had failed here. The Clones still outnumbered them, and more Elites and Clones were being ferried into the shield.

Sykes realized the position would fall. Despite the Alesians recapturing their defensive position, they could not possibly hold off the infantry advance. They started to pack up their defensive turrets and drone launchers quickly, fighting a rear guard action as they began to retreat in good order toward the city walls. The 20th Legion also followed them into the city quickly. Both Legions were hit hard, but the 54th lost nearly 2000 men while the 20th Legion lost only 1000. While dwindled in number, they still retained most of their equipment and had managed to cut down much of the enemy's vehicle strength.

As the rest of the Clones and their vehicles entered the shields, the walls were under attack. Blue Wolves, in their deadly accuracy and agility, began to pick off the militia and Legionnaires on the walls. Several Clone Sappers placed explosives at the foundations of the walls, and mortar teams positioned themselves just inside the shield.

However, the lack of vehicles were unable to protect the infantry this time from the weapons of the militia and Legionnaires as streams of blue plasma were fired at the clones from anti personnel turrets. Drones streaked in to explode as well as the artillery pieces in the rear of the walls. The air bursts from the anti-personnel shrapnel shells were effective against clone infantry as the metal peices tore apart clone armor in great bloody chunks.

APCs and Humvees quickly moved in to replace the tanks but they were weaker. Unfortunately, a stray mortar shell had landed too close to the shield generator and another had landed right near a fuel tank that contained highly explosive fuel for the locals. The tank exploded, showering the neighborhood in deadly fire that began to spread. More energy mortar shells fell into city while the APCs prioritized the mortar teams in their defense. The Sappers' explosives began to take out chunks of walls as well, and as the mortar shells continued to fall into the city, one of the power generators exploded in a spectacular fireworks display. The shield began to flicker lightly.

The Alesians and the Militia continued their valiant defense, but they knew they couldn't hold forever. General Galen knew that the priority was to salvage as much of the defending force as possible. He issued recall orders to the various military forces and the evacuation of all Alesian descended personnel. The evacuation was speedy as the civilians had been prepped to leave for several hours.

The Strike Group in orbit was quickly alerted to the flickering shield and they began to send down powerful bombardments at the city, and they did not miss the fleeing civilians who were the last to flee. Though Alesians thought it a war crime, and so did the Tauri at a later period in time, the Clones and Tok'ra were still burning with desire to kill all Alesians and their shield failed and the city was bombarded. No matter how advanced, Alesians could not evacuate everyone at once. The last groups faced grievous casualties as they were beamed away.

The equipments and Predators were the first to be beamed away, following the majority of the militia and Alesian forces on the planet, leaving only a small force to hold off the advance as the clones poured through the city walls. The civilians were mainly saved, but the last groups were decimated before they were beamed away. The skeleton force took severe casualties as well, holding off the clones long enough to be beamed away as well.

**Milky Way Galaxy: Mid Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Berian IV**

**Day 3 - 08:47:29**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 5**

Galen bit his lips as he read the reports in his office. The Legion HQ was now flooded with wounded that even the advanced medical facilities were unable to handle at once. Two other cities, Grarinos and Amdorian had also fallen, although they suffered less casualties than Orasus did but, three out of seven cities was a grave loss. Not only that, almost half of Grarinos and nearly twenty thousand civilians in Amdorian were left behind. The reports indicated that the Clones only killed Alesians and their families, but the civilians were terrified. This was grave news. Galen knew that he was outnumbered and outgunned. Also, the fact that the Clones had dialed the Stargate in order to block it was a serious issue for the Legions.

Galen knew that there was still some chance to win as long as they held the Stargate but he felt in his gut that holding the Stargate would be impossible, and already the Clones had dialed in from somewhere and continued to shoot energy weapons into the shield. It was matter of time before the shield failed and the Stargate lost to the Clones. He knew he had to come up with a plan.

He knew that his force had to be salvaged from the defenses and based somewhere where it could harass the clone armies and then withdraw, spending the clone's strength while maintaining his own. It was matter of time before the Clones figured out where the HQ was, so that had to be dealt with as well. The lifesign scans of the enemy ships had to be disabled. An idea came to Galen. He sneered at the enemy as he stood up.

**Milky Way Galaxy: Mid Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Berian IV**

**Day 4 - 13:20:51**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 5**

The Clones were relentless. As they pushed, the Alesians retreated, often abandoning the civilians and taking only the militia and the equipments. The Clones did not care. They simply killed any Alesians and their families, and occupied the cities.

However, many Alesians did escape and managed to take up arms against the defenders, instigating riots and small scale resistance against the clones. The cost for this world was getting higher for both sides, but Galen and his men didn't seem to have a choice. The Clones, excited by taking of the cites, had quickly captured all but two mountain cities within the week. The ships in orbit fired upon the sparsely located villages, destroying them without mercy. The civilians were driven into camps and made to repair the damage caused in the cities.

The civilians were terrified, but also enraged at the clone defenders. This would make it easier to coordinate a resistance movement supplanted by the still at large Alesian Legions and much of their Militia. After a desperate effort, Galen managed to call Alesia through Stargate. After some discussion, it was Alesia that called back. They sent several large boxes of equipments that Galen's forces quickly retrieved before the Clones moved in. This enabled the forces to maintain cloaked camps for their surviving forces in the mountains where they could hide out.

There was also a nice little package that Galen specifically requested and he smiled grimly as he ordered it to be opened. The missile within was specifically formatted to cause atmospheric disturbances that would disrupt any life sign scanners and disrupt the Asgard style beaming the clones had. It did not disrupt Alesian beams nearly as much, although it restricted their range by a fair margin. The Clones regretted allowing the single missile to slip through. They thought it was some sort of satellite, but when it dispersed, leaving persisting disruptions, the Tok'ra general gritted his teeth in anger. Who knew that this little planet would be one of the crucial factors in the turning point of this war. As the Tok'ra continued to siege the planet, ChiYou's forces continued to push into the Mid Region, pushing back the Alesian defenders further back to their homeworld.


	39. Rise of the Phoenix

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 39: Rise of the Phoenix**

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Earth: Earth Sector/ Earth / Stargate Command **

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 6**

General O'Neill sighed as he put down his crossword puzzle.

"So, where are you guys off to?"

Carter sighed as she looked at her commanding officer.

"We are off to P4X-981. We are going to scout out possible Alesian activity."

O'Neill shook his head.

"No... The name doesn't click."

Jackson sighed.

"We just did the briefing, Jack. The planet that was in the list you put in when you had the Ancient database in your head for the first time?"

O'Neill winced.

"That must be it... I don't want to particularly remember that time. So... well, have fun!"

Teal'c raised his eyebrow.

"There could be very little enjoyment to be had, O'Neill. This is a simple scout mission."

O'Neill shrugged.

"It is why I am not going. Scout missions are so boring and overrated anyway."

**Milky Way Galaxy: Mid Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Telana Sector / Fale III**

**Day 1 - 11:47:08**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 6**

With the familar Kawoosh, the Stargate on P4X-981 opened. After a moment, three humans, followed by five more, arrived. Reynolds and SG-3 secured the gate while SG-1 began to move out.

Carter and Jackson advanced forward. Teal'c was walking slightly farther away, covering a potential ambush spot with his staff weapon as they walked on to a set of nearby hills.

Their weapons had gone significant change over the last few months, despite the appearance. Although the Asgard scientists and Colonel Carter had managed to develop Anti-Kull Warrior weapons, their normal weapon also underwent serious redesigning. The P90, now the backbone of the SG-teams in its versatility, had been given a new range of ammunition. O'Neill practically begged the Asgard, and knowing how effective Earth projectile weapons were against Replicators, the Asgard decided to do a small technological trade. In return for two chemical solutions, a formula for an old Asgard alloy, Earth would provide 3 P90s, 2 SPAS and two Glock pistols for the Asgard to study.

One of the two chemicals was an additive that increased simple gas expansion of gunpowder explosion to magnify almost 50 times. The alloy formula that involved Trinium allowed the construction of the shell casing for the ammunition, allowing new and powerful bullets that fired Trinium/Naquadah tipped armor-piercing carbon-steel rounds. The other chemical was a sort of nylon-like bio-organic plastic that can be made from any number of plants. Once washed over the body armor of the SG teams and then treated with a special spectrum of light and a specific frequency of ultrasound, it would harden. The hardened material would be powerful enough to bounce off most of the bullets from Earth, except the SGC's new bullets. Also, it was heat-resistant enough to survive against Jaffa staff weapons or Kull Warrior weapons for a while.

They made their way to the hills after a few moments and spread out to cover the most ground. Carter signaled as they saw a village up ahead. Jackson and Teal'c made their way from the sides cautiously and crept to the village.

The village, if it could be called that, was almost totally destroyed. The houses, made of wood and stone, were charred, scarred and crumpled into heaps of rubble. They could see several dozen bodies in grayish white armor with red stripes on them, and corpses of five or six Alesian Legionnaires, all of them mangled and twisted.

Carter inhaled with a sharp intake of breath. The battle scene was nightmarish. She could only imagine the intensity of the battle, and she had seen her fair share of battles in the last few years. Even Teal'c frowned. Since nobody took the bodies, he couldn't tell who won. Jackson intensely surveyed the surroundings.

Teal'c studied the layout of the battle. Finally he spoke.

"I believed the clones were ambushed in the middle of killing the civilian population when these Alesians attacked them."

Jackson nodded.

"Yes, but see here, the Clones have spared some families and slaughtered others, but none of them resisted... This is strange..."

Teal'c frowned.

"Indeed. It is most strange."

He walked around, examining several bodies and wincing.

"This firefight was brief, but brutal. It probably did not last more than a few minutes."

Carter shook her head.

"These soldiers... They didn't just fight to win... They fought to kill. Look at these!"

She pointed to the bodies at her feet. A Clone had stuck a short combat knife into the neck of a Legionnaire as the Legionnaire had skewered the Clone with his blade, now deactivated.

Teal'c looked at another scene where it appeared 5 or 6 clones surrounded a Legionnaire and empied clips into the Legionnaire. The Alesian had taken out most of them, but his shield and armor had failed and he was a bloody mess on the ground.

"This was a fight of such intensity that even I have not witnessed its equal."

Suddenly, Teal'c looked up and tackled Daniel out of the way. A dozen heavy bullets raked across the rubble behind where Daniel was standing. Carter immediately took cover behind what was once a fence. Daniel and Teal'c crawled into a small alley between two of the houses as nearly 50 clones began to storm into the village, fanning out into squads.

The Clone Corporals were a single visor over their left eye that showed them extra sensor data while the Clone Sergeant commanding the Patrol carried a large single blade sword and stubby-looked gun that suspiciously looked like an H&K UMP but with much bigger bullet holes. They began to search for the targets they just saw. One of the Corporals noticed Carter's location and fired. She ducked and the stone fragments showered her as the massive heavy bullets simply blew apart her cover.

Suddenly a shower of staff weapon and p90 fire struck the nearest clone with a fury, at first bouncing off the armor and then killing the clone.

The Clones immediately turned their attention to the two males, and they were about to fire their guns when a single long beam pierced a Corporal in the head, leaving a giant hole in the helmet and killing him. The Clones quickly took cover as they instinctively registered a more formidable opponent.

However, this was an ambush, and six Legionnaires came out from hiding and fired into the Clones. Another two Corporals fell quickly, but the Sergeant was not so easy to kill. He evaded the attack and fired his gun at the nearest Legionnaire's head, just as the Legionnaire lost his footing from the straw-made roof. The bullets pierced the helmet and killed the Legionnaire.

More beams flared out from the houses, striking several more clones in the chest or the head as several more Alesians jumped out and fired their plasma blasters at the clone soldiers. Two soldiers of the squad stood back and fired more of their lance weapons, which emitted powerful beams that blew great holes in clone armors.

Colonel Carter was forced to jump here and there, and finally found a hiding place near Teal'c and Daniel. The fight began to heat up as the Clones took down two more Alesians but then they had already lost just over half of their number already.

The Legionnaires had picked their spot well, they were able to maximize their firepower while making the clone's disperse their own. They rained down a storm of plasma on the pinned clone patrol, screaming a victory cry as more clones fell.

Suddenly, a Legionnaire was struck from behind by a hail of bullets. With a crushing sound, three Elites, officially designated as Assault Elites by the Clone Army, came charging into the village, from behind the Alesians. The Alesians now only numbered six now, as another Legionnaire just then fell to Clones in the front. One of the Elite raised his left hand, which was encased in a large metal gauntlet, and slammed a Legionnaire in the head. The Legionnaire attempted to evade, but his foot got caught on a rock on the ground and the large fist slammed into the chest. The Legionnaire rolled on the ground, heaving and struggling to breath. The Elite lowered his gun and fired into the fallen Legionnaire, and stamping on the legs. Teal'c creased his face at this dishonorable conduct but he knew enough to stay quiet.

The Centurion who led this particular unit killed another two clones and was screaming into his headset in Ancient. Carter turned to Daniel.

"What is he saying?"

Daniel frowned.

"He is asking for something... A firebird... a phoenix! He is asking for phoenix in the sky?"

Suddenly a screech was heard as 3 white figures dropped from the sky, blue fire jets slowing their descent as they landed among the remnants of the clone squad, crushing 2 clone soldiers underneath their larger bulk. They were bigger than the standard Legionnaire, about 8 feet tall and had heavier armaments than the standard Legionnaires. The Phoenix Legionnaires had arrived.

The Assault Elites instinctively registered their opponents as they abandoned the Legionnaires to their Clone brothers and engaged the Phoenix Legionnaires. The Tri-B rifles flared their deathly ammunition while the bright balls of plasma was sent forth from the hands of the Phoenix Legionnaires. The time drew on for an eternity, but it was really only a few seconds as they collided. The six heavy soldiers crashed into each other, firing at point blank range while punching each other. Neither side had melee weapons but they were warriors. The Phoenix Legionnaires were much less agile than their brothers, but they were stronger and were more powerful since their armor assisted their movements.

Their collision was titanic. One of the Phoenix managed to down an Elite just as the Elite was charging, but the Elite fell pointing his gun at the Phoenix with trigger depressed. Though the armor saved the Phoenix Legionnaire, the bullets had raked across the Legionnaire.

The Phoenix Legionnaires focused their fire on another elite who was firing full auto bursts at the nearest Phoenix. After a few seconds of sustained plasma fire, the clone Elite's armor was penetrated and he went down with grapefruit sized holes blown in him from the large plasma rounds.

The third pair had raked each others armor with their weapons before going into a melee. The Phoenix's left hand had just parried a swing of the Tri-B rifle when the armored fist slammed into the helmet. It dazed the Alesian long enough for the Elite to fire into the Legionnaire's face. As he fell, the Legionnaire fired his blasters but to no avail. The Elite quickly reloaded, and turned to his right, and fired at another Phoenix just as the other Phoenix Legionnaire fired into his back, blasting holes in his torso. However, the Elite died smiling, seeing how his bullets tore off an arm of the Legionnaire he just targeted.

Meanwhile, the SG-1 had fled their hiding place and attempted to make their way out of the village when the head of the Clone Sergeant, slain by the Alesian squad leader's blade, fell in front of them. From the helmet's communicator, they could hear a Goa'uld voice, most likely from the Clones' Tok'ra commander.

"Kree Clones! I am sending orbital bombardment to your location. Hold them down!"

Carter screamed out as she ran.

"Move! They are going to bombard the village from orbit! Get back to the Stargate!"

However, they were too late and they could see six blue light appearing from the clouded sky. Just as the blue bolts of light slammed into the ground, the three humans were surrounded by white light and disappeared, leaving the victorious Alesians to suffer death. After all, the Tok'ra just wanted the Alesians to die.

_In orbit..._

Colonel Pendergast was sitting on board the command chair for Prometheus as SG-1 and SG-3 were beamed up.

"Colonel Carter, Welcome on board the Prometheus."

SG-1 sighed with relief. Carter nodded in thanks.

"Thank you, colonel. Your timing could not have been better."

"We managed to talk the Tok'ra into letting us stay in orbit. It was rather frantic for a few minutes there"

Daniel nodded vehemently.

"Well, at least you got us out. Why are you here of all places?"

"General O'Neill's orders. We were nearby and so he called us to give you any support you might need."

Teal'c bowed his head. Carter unloaded her P90 and handed it to a sergeant.

"Well, who knew this planet was a battlefield. It was supposedly a peaceful planet just last week."

Pendergast frowned.

"The Tok'ra told me they claimed this world. Apparently this was an Alesian claimed world. I guess not anymore."

Teal'c frowned as he eyed the dozen or so Tok'ra ships in orbit.

"When did this battle start?"

"According to the Tok'ra they have been fighting the Alesians for the last six days and destroyed their main force yesterday, but they now have guerrilla forces hiding in the jungles in the tropic regions."

Carter frowned.

"Six days? The whole planet is marked with war... What happened?"

"I do not know. My guess is the Alesians sent a force here and the Tok'ra wiped it out."

Daniel looked down at the planet, with was littered with brown parts that were obviously results of explosions.

"I'm guessing bombardments?"

Pendergast nodded.

"We read a lot of residual readings. If they had used nuclear weapons, this planet would be filled with radioactive smog so thick that you can't see two feet ahead of you."

Suddenly 3 hyperspace windows opened up to engorge 6 powerful Alesian battleships. They exited hyperspace right on top of the Tok'ra ships and started firing the second they exited hyperspace.

The Tok'ra ships fought back hard and Prometheus raised shields just in case. They were lucky they did. Seeing a strange ship not fighting the Tok'ra, the Alesians fired several volleys from their secondary weapons, and the Asgard-based shield held against the powerful ion weapons.

Colonel Pendergast frowned as the airman manning the console called out.

"Shields down to 20%! We can't take much more of this!"

"Full sublight, prepare to jump to hyperspace!"

Just as Prometheus entered hyperspace, it was rocked by powerful explosion. All the lights flickered. Then, they were back in real space, but somewhere else. The nav officer screamed in panic.

"Colonel! We did not move in our projected path! We have been bounced to an unknown location!"

Colonel Pendergast looked at Carter with resignation.

"Great."

Carter nodded and quickly took over, running through the log and diagnostics. Meanwhile, Daniel and Teal'c went to get changed. They spent their time fixing their hyperdrive, which was, although hit hard, was not so seriously damaged. Also, their shield was back online albeit at 50%. As the engineering crew were busy checking and repairing, rest of them tried to call home, but they had no idea where they were.

The airmen manning the sensors called out.

"Colonel! I am reading a single vessel approaching our position! Ha'tak class vessel, coming at us with full speed."

"Hail it!"

"It's hailing us... Audio only!"

The transmission was put on the speakers.

"You are within Supreme Lord Ba'al's territory. Your ship will be confiscated. Prepare to be boarded or prepare to be destroyed!"

Carter looked around at Pendergast. Pendergast cleared his throat to respond when the Ops officer reported.

"Ha'tak is powering weapons... It's firing!"

The ship shook as the plasma weapons slammed into the shield of Prometheus. Pendergast yelled out.

"Fire ion laser! Drain their shields and prepare a missile and railgun salvo!"

"Yes, colonel!"

Carter quickly turned on the weapons systems from her console.

"Ion laser targeting... Target locked! Firing!"

A green laser struck out toward the Ha'tak, firing fast as they struck the Ha'tak's shield with repeating auto bursts. The Asgard-based shield held strong, barely losing 10% from the constant bombardment from the Ha'tak, but the Ion Lasers had almost drained their shield, and the Ha'tak's shield was flickering.

The 3 ion lasers kept on auto fire as they finally drained the shield of the Ha'tak. Pendergest yelled orders to the weapons officer.

"Fire salvo of missiles followed by a railgun spread!"

"Yes, colonel!"

Prometheus fired its railguns and missiles. The railgun rounds reached the Ha'tak first, exploding against the hull and disabling half of the staff cannons before the half a dozen nuclear warheads struck the superstructure of the Ha'tak, destroying it with several flashes of blue light.

As the lightshow ended, Prometheus began to move toward the wreckage when a hyperspace opened right above them. The huge form of an O'Neill class Asgard Cruiser appeared.

Pendergast no sooner took in the presence of the new arrival than a flash from an Asgard beam appeared, revealing Thor and his command chair. Thor blinked up at the gathered team and Pendergast.

"Greetings, Colonel."

Pendergast greeted the Asgard back.

"Greetings Commander Thor. You arrived just in time it seems. We are sort of lost."

"I have already determined that your computer's navigation charts and log has been corrupted. I have corrected those corruptions, however, I have come to speak to Colonel Carter, and to SG-1."

_A few minutes later..._

Thor was gathered in the mess hall with Colonel Carter, Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c.

Daniel spoke first.

"It has been a while since you called us last..."

"Indeed, Daniel Jackson. The Asgard have been busy in their war with the Replicators, but we have monitored the recent conflicts. Particularly the one between the Alesians and the Tok'ra."

Teal'c nodded.

"We have noticed that war also. Yet, I have noticed that, despite your friendship with ChiYou, you have not involved yourself into the war."

"We will not get involved in the war. While we are friendly toward the Tok'ra, we do not condone their war against the Alesians. While the Alesian actions to Kauri were inexcusable, it is no excuse to wipe them out as a race. Chiyou has targeted all Alesian descended people and kills all of them on every world he takes."

"Yet you remain friends with ChiYou."

Thor nodded.

"While his actions are regrettable, he has been a long-time ally of the Asgard. His knowledge of the cloning technology is vast and has helped the Asgard in our study to solve our problem. The research material he has provided us could result in saving the Asgard as a race."

Carter looked at Thor.

"We have heard very little about the Alesian/Chiyou war."

"The Asgard has kept up with observations. This war is quite violent, even for ChiYou or Alesians."

Teal'c nodded.

"Indeed. We witnessed one such battle some hours ago."

"This war is something that we did not expect to be so violent. We suspect something else is involved. However, the Asgard are in no condition to investigate this further."

Daniel looked at Thor.

"I see. Which side is winning?"

"I do not understand. Human language is far too primitve to convey all meanings with specifics. Please clarifiy your question, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel clarified what he meant.

"Which side is winning? The tok'ra or the Alesians?"

"As far as we can tell, the Tok'ra have amassed an army far greater than that of Alesians and they have conquered and captured most of the Alesians' outer regions."

Teal'c nodded.

"It seems the Tok'ra do outnumber the Alesians by far, but the Alesians got a technological advantage."

Thor shook his head slowly.

"Do not underestimate ChiYou. He has access to the technologies of the Protoss and... although it is only a rumor, he knows the location of the Garuda. It is possible that ChiYou may have access to technologies beyond even that of the Alterans."

Daniel frowned.

"The Garuda? What is that?"

Thor hesitated, then he decided to trust the humans.

"The Garuda is a mythical starship that somehow arrived in Milky Way long before Alterans have arrived. No one knows who built it but when a Goa'uld named Indra had found it, he immediately became a threat even to the Asgard."

Thor paused.

"Then Indra disappeared, and ChiYou has rumored to have found it. In passing, ChiYou has mentioned that there are technologies beyond imagination inside that ship. The Alterans were already in Pegasus galaxy by that time, and Furlings had gone their way, and Nox were not interested. We were fighting hostile local species and was not capable of chasing down the rumor."

Daniel was rather stunned.

"Wow, such an advantage would give anyone enough power to conquer nearly anyone....."

"Many had chased the myth but all failed to find it. Even Ra had wasted many centuries in search of the Garuda, but all failed. We suspect that it is through the Garuda that ChiYou has made first contact with the Protoss, and most of his advanced technologies are from either the Protoss or the Garuda, perhaps both."

Daniel spoke next.

"So why have you come?"

Thor turned his head to SG-1.

"Your recent efforts and O'Neill help had allowed the recapture of many Asgard ships and destruction of the humanoid form Replicators, although we know that one called Fifth has survived, the Replicators are retreating throughout the Ida galaxy."

Daniel frowned.

"How did you combat the replicators?"

Thor continued.

"Using both the disruptor weapon and the results of our technological trade has allowed the Asgard to drive back the Replicators from key worlds and were also managed to route several swarms from destroying few remaining civilizations in our galaxy. They were primtive people but they showed great promise. They would have perished if the Replicators were not driven back."

Carter smiled.

"That's great, but why did you come? Shouldn't you be busy defeating the Replicators?"

"Unfortunately, the Replicators are adapting fast and are evading any Asgard ships capable of using the disruptor weapon. Only O'Neill class and Daniel Jackson class are capable of equipping and powering the weapon. It is the issue of fighting Replicators in non-space combat that has come to our attention, and knowing your expertise, we would like your advice."

Teal'c frowned.

"I see. Maybe you should consider arming the civilizations that are under your protection and using them as foot soldiers."

Thor shook his head.

"We have not made contact with these younger races, and they are not yet ready to accept the concept of life outside their planet. Instead we have developed technology that we believe can suppliment our lack of physical prowess."

With that, Thor beamed back. The Ops officer reported to Pendergast.

"Colonel, the Asgard ship is got us in some sort of holding field... They are

towing us into hyperspace!"

Carter looked at the rest of her team. They were as mystified as she was, but they did not have long to wait as they exited hyperspace several minutes later over a large yellowish planet. It was obviously a desert planet which Teal'c immediately wanted to call 'Tatooine' but Thor revealed its name to be 'Baralasus', one of the protected planets which was destroyed by its inhabitants shooting nuclear weapons at each other.

Carter looked at the planet.

"It looks like a blasted wasteland alright...."

The planet was thick with radioactive clouds but as Thor's ship got into orbit, the people aboard Prometheus saw a large Asgard floating city, larger than that of Nox but consisting mostly of simple flat areas. The city floated just above the radioactive cloud as Thor's ship and Prometheus slowly landed on its massive platforms.

Daniel whistled.

"An Asgard cityship?"

Carter nodded.

"Looks like it, but I don't see many structures... as if the whole city is just a platform... Maybe a mobile shipyard or something."

The humans and Thor were beamed off the ship onto the platform. Daniel looked around. It was strangely quiet, except for a slight hum from the anti-gravity engines.

Daniel looked around at the marvelous white, metallic structures.

"Wow... when did you have time to build this place?"

Thor spoke without much inflection in his voice.

"This station was built during the Alliance days when the Alterans aided in the construction of this place. It used to be a thriving commerce city, until the Furlings left and rest of us felt no need for... commerce."

Daniel looked around.

"So what is it used for now?"

"We have recently reactivated as a technological research and development station to hide our latest technological developments from the Replicators."

Teal'c suddenly asked.

"How long does it mean when you say 'recent'?"

"This station has been active for one hundred and eighty three Earth years."

Carter nodded.

"Makes sense. A place to fall back to without the replicators knowing about it."

"Indeed, Colonel Carter. We felt the need for a secure place. From here, we have developed a technology that could aid the Asgard in close combat."

Carter looked at Thor.

"What have you developed?"

Thor gestured and something beamed to the ground in front of them. They looked like a small dome about the size of an average sewer manhole. They were silver in color so that they blended perfectly with the surroundings.

Carter looked at the dome.

"What is it?"

Thor hesitated.

"We have not properly given it a name, but we have called it an Automated Defensive Weapon Platform With Crystalline Artificial Intelligence. They are, as their name suggests, an Automated..."

Daniel Jackson continued.

"Defensive Weapon Platform With Crystalline Artificial Intelligence?"

"Yes."

Teal'c replied.

"Why not call it a gun drone?"

Thor paused and looked at Teal'c, the small gray alien's gaze making even Teal'c uncomfortable.

"You suggest to call this invention that includes the most sophisticated artificial intelligence the Asgard has ever developed as a 'Gun Drone'?"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed."

Thor paused then nodded.

"It is acceptable. Now, for demonstration."

At Thor's words, the half dozen Gun Drone rose into the air and floated just around where Thor's head was. They retracted their cover by half and they revealed a large ocular part and two gun-like weapons next to the optic eye.

Teal'c was fairly impressed.

"What does it fire?"

Thor answered quickly.

"The Asgard could not possibly comprehend projectile technology so primitive as to use such primitive explosive power to generate gas expansion to propel bits of metal. We have designed a slightly more efficient technology to propel the ammunition. Also, we have also vastly improved the ammunition we fire."

Teal'c spoke.

"How so?"

"These 'guns' as you see are actually what we call 'Ionised Repulse Projectors' that launches ammunition using super-dense repulse bolt generated by ionization of plasma within the ammunition."

Daniel frowned.

"A... what?"

Thor answered.

"Allow them to show you their capabilities."

The Drones turned to a target that was just beamed. It was a metal cylinder about as big as an Asgard. Then the drones fired their guns, their gunfire being blue and the projectiles exploding in great purple flames. The explosions of the ammunition seem to create concussive shock waves. The metal barrel was blown to pieces within a few seconds. The team was surprised to say the least.

Carter nodded in approval.

"Wow, that seems powerful."

"Yes, but unfortunately, the Asgard High Council has decreed against sharing this technology and any related technologies with Earth. They believe that this would be too much for you."

Daniel groaned.

"Of course......"

Thor turned to SG-1.

"The reason I am showing you these are to gain your perspectives on this. Your people are far more experienced in projectile weapons. Please take time to 'examine' the Gun Drones to find any flaws your find."

Daniel narrowed his eyes, and Thor spoke with what might be a small smile.

"Chiyou has suggested that I should gain your 'feedback' in order to perfect the weapon. Please, take your time."


	40. Seeds of Discord and Doubt

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 40: Seeds of Doubt and Discord**

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Core Region / Alesia Sector / Alesia III**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 7**

Amann was sitting in his quarters alone, sipping a bottle of murky brown liquid. Another day of strategic reports, another day of hearing more losses on the front lines of the war. More than half of the Mid Region had fallen, and the way to Alesia was laid open. Alesia itself was isolated from its Core Worlds, with the majority of Alesian forces concentrated at Alterra with the return of the main Alesian fleet. Thanks to yet another flanking maneuver by Chiyou, Alesia was now isolated and vulnerable to direct attack. His eyes were cold with barely suppressed rage and madness, tainted only by bleariness from the lack of sleep and the excess of alcohol he had consumed in the past few months. He stood up from where he was drinking and fastened his armor on over his robe. He was going to head to the War Room. Just as he was finishing putting his armor on, a chime sounded indicating a visitor. He halted before he reached the door. He readied his blaster and pointed it at the door. This might be Alesia, the homeworld of the Empire, but he was taking no chances considering the dangerous home situation.

"Come!"

The door opened to reveal a dark haired young woman. Her features were pale and her eyes were brown as she walked in, the very image of her mother. The only difference was she had her father's brown eyes.

"Father...."

Amann looked at his daughter and lowered the blaster hesitantly.

"I am sorry. I did not realize it was you, Cassandra. If you will excuse me..."

He turned away suddenly and made to walk out of his quarters. She placed a hand on his chest and held him there.

"Father, we should talk, you have barely spoken a word to me or Pretas since mother's death. I insist."

Amann looked at his daughter with something akin to exasperation.

"What is there to talk about?"

Cassandra looked at Amann.

"There is much to discuss Father. Please sit down."

Amann tried to get past her, but she stopped him by walking in front of him. He was not amused.

"The war calls, I am needed. Get out of the way."

Cassandra stood defiant.

"No. You will sit down. I have already taken the liberty of telling the Triumvirate you will not be present today."

Amann was furious.

"You what? And what gives you the authority to tell a High Councilor what to do? You are a Lower Council member! Hell, I am your father to boot! Just who do you think you are!"

Cassandra spoke firmly.

"You are my father, and I love you very much. But sit down!"

Amann blinked at her and spoke wildly.

"Don't you understand I am needed? I need to redeem my credibility in the eyes of the people! You cannot understand! You cannot...."

His voice trailed off as he spoke bitterly.

"You cannot know the glares that follow me everywhere.....all of the people think I am mad. They even whisper when they do not think I will hear. Many think I killed Lucia and Galadriel! My own wife and sister! They blame me for all the mistakes of the war, and do not credit me with any of the victories. They credit Ayen and do not recognize any of my participation in the victory at Averian or other such victories! No! I am given all the blame.....all the burden....and none of the support."

He broke off suddenly as he broke down, crying suddenly. She guided him to a chair and sat down next to him. He spoke after a moment after clearing his nose.

"You don't know. You cannot know. The dark dreams I have....Alesia burning.....our people exterminated.....the faces of the dead staring at me with accusing stares. Every night I see them! We are losing this war so badly.....we have lost over 80% of our territory....I have no idea what to do.....the people accuse me, but offer no answers. They whisper that I killed those whom I loved....almost to the point where I start believing it myself."

Amann held his head in his hands as he rocked back and forth.

"What the hell can I do? I try everything known to me. Every weapon or strategy in my hand breaks before me! I can't win! The people think I'm a monster. There has been talk of overthrowing me and offering me as a war criminal to Chiyou in the hopes that he will break off this war. My own political control is so weakened I don't have hardly any allies left in the Lower Council. Even the High Council is either missing or noncommittal....Taelira has been missing for months, presumably preparing the Drow armies. I am starting to doubt that now.....the Drow might be waiting to strike for such an insurrection. I have no idea who my allies are! The only person that seems supportive is Janilius. He offers advice.....he has helped me, but I do not see any public support from him regarding me. Even Demos is distancing himself from me. I am starting to think he is going to turn on me at any moment. The Legions barely follow me. They are more loyal to Ayen than myself it seems. Ayen follows the orders I give him, but I can see how reluctant he is to follow me. He seems loyal to Alesia, but Alesia does not seem to have much of a use for me much longer."

Amann shuddered in pain.

"I have absolutely no idea of what to do! Every moment I spend in fear, thinking they will finally get the idea to come for me and try to capture or kill me! I have no allies, no defenders, no hope. I am completely alone in every sense of the word. Left with only the pain and burden. Sometimes I think I am really insane. Perhaps I do deserve death or to be locked up like my enemies suggest. I.....I need a drink...."

He leaned forward to grab the bottle off the table and poured himself a generous portion of the alcohol on the table, his hand shaking as he was barely able to pour a glass. Cassandra never seen her father looking so distraught or vulnerable before. It disturbed her to see him this way.

"Father....I do not think you should have any more. You need a clear head if you are to regain any credibility with the people and win this war. Drinking yourself into a mindless stupor will only dull the pain for a few hours, and then it will return and you will feel worse about yourself. I worry for you, Father."

Amann shook again, half speaking to himself. It almost seemed as if he was steeling himself.

"Don't worry about me. I will take all the blame. I will endure. I will be strong. There is nothing left but a shell. Only the cold exterior that people see. I am a rock, unbreakable to all things. Yeah. Let them all come."

Cassandra placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Father, I want you to come visit the country house tonight. Pretas will be there. He got leave from his Legion, he would like to see his own father."

Amann spoke stonily.

"No, I regret I cannot. I have a war to win."

"Father, one night will not change the war. Come with me."

Amann looked at her with resignation.

"You....and him....remind me so much of Lucia....I can't face the both of you. No, that would be too much for me."

"Father, it will do you good. You will feel better about yourself if you come."

Amann closed his eyes and whispered weakly, groaning as he did so.

"Please.....don't make me go.....please. Just leave.....take Pretas with you. Run away from Alesia as fast as you can. I don't want you here when they.....come for me. It is only a matter of time.....I don't want you to take the fallout or to see me dragged through the streets before being executed or given to Chiyou. Leave, for your safety. At best, you would be shamed for being the children of a monster. At worst, you could be persecuted and even attacked by members of the population if I am not here to protect you. You could have a decent life elsewhere....and they wouldn't bother to look for you. You need not have fear or shame. Just leave and be in peace. I will take all the blame on me. It will end with me. I will go down alone. It is best this way. Alesia will live on without me I am sure. Chiyou wants me, not Alesia. If the man who caused his world's destruction is dead, he will stop. I can't exact vengeance on him anyway for Lucia or Galadriel, but I can save my world. A sacrifice not honored, only remembered as the day the war criminal Amann Adar was captured or killed. It will save Alesia. It is our only....hope."

Amann nodded slowly with his eyes still closed.

"I will do my duty. My last duty would be to die. The taint of disgrace and dishonor will follow me to my grave. Future generations will revile me as the monster that almost destroyed Alesia and brought about the death's of tens of billions of people. The war criminal that unleashed the most devastating war in the history of the universe. I should have withdrawn our forces from Kauri, perhaps the war could have been avoided and Chiyou could have been killed at a later date without killing 25 billion Kauri, also avoiding the deaths of tens of billions of Alesian citizens in this insane war. That would have been better. It is too late now. Now, I will see it through to the end no matter what."

He opened his eyes and looked at her with tears in his eyes, but an expression of steel crossed his face.

"I only want you and Pretas to understand me and remember me not as the monster that I became, but as the father I was to you. As long as you two knew that there was more to me than me being a monster.....it will be worth it."

Cassandra hugged her father and held him as he cried.

"It is ok Father. Just come with me tonight and see Pretas. Family will help you remain strong."

Amann spoke quietly.

"Perhaps.....I will go. You might be right. I want you and Pretas to prepare to flee Alesia however. When I give the word, you run as fast as you can and do not look back. That is my condition."

Cassandra let go of Amann and slowly nodded.

"Very well father. I will do as you ask. Now come."

She helped her father up and they walked out of his quarters together.


	41. Brotherhood

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 41: Brotherhood**

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Core Region / Alterra Sector / Verana IV**

**Day 15 - 17:12:56**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 7**

The prosperous planet of Verana IV had lived in peace for over 15,000 years with the Alesians providing protection an economic aid. A planet with a population of 9 billion people, it held massive cities with mile high white skyscrapers. The landscape was mostly open plains, with some mountains. It was week 2 since the 5 million strong clone army invaded this planet to attack the 30 Legions present on this world. Much of the planet was already a smoking ruin with vicious infighting going on inside the cities, which were little more than bombed out shells with rubble piles. The Alesians were falling back reluctant under the massive assaults, but they were stubborn and required massive numbers to dislodge even a minor position. Inside the local command HQ, the situation was looking desperate to the Alesian General in charge of the defense for this Core World. His Legions were spread thin to defend each city and most of them were pinned down. Bodies littered the streets from the massive ground battles being waged as Predator walkers clashed with the clones battle tanks. Alesian descended civilians were being evacuated at heavy cost to the Alesian Legons defending this world.

In the capital city of the planet, 2 Legions were busy defending a section of the city from a massive clone infantry assault. Legate Carela was busy with his commanders as he watched the tactical system in the field command center.

"Report!"

"Sir, 2nd Battalion is falling back under heavy assault. The clones brought in tanks to dislodge our positions. I recommend sending in 4 Predator walkers and 30 Phoenix Legionnaires to assist and plug the gap."

"Do it. Send the last reserve Militia battalion to assist as well. We have used reserves everywhere and they still come like a damn rain that never ends!"

A Legionnaire looked up.

"Sir! We have lost contact with one of the companies in 3rd Battalion. They are isolated sir! Orders?"

Legate Calen sighed as as a Centurion walked in, soaked in blood from a pitched battle.

"There is nothing we can do. I have no reserves to aid them. They are on their own. Out of curiosity, which company is it?"

"4th company in 3rd Battalion. They are pinned down. 7th Company reports they are surrounded, but are unable to aid."

The Centurion spoke up.

"Sir, my squad is ready to assist 4th company! Let me go in and provide support and allow them to withdraw!"

Legate Calen looked at the Centurion.

"I can give no support for your attack if you go in. If you do this, you are completely on your own."

The Centurion saluted.

"I understand sir! I have a brother in that company. I have to go. My men just got back in from a patrol. I can get them to the transport jumpers at....this point."

He indicated a town square about a half mile away.

"Here. We can evac the entire company here and we will be able to plug any more gaps."

Legate Calen looked at the Centurion.

"What is your name, Centurion?"

"Centurion Nepea Balera of 1st Battalion, 3rd company, leading the 2nd Squad, sir!"

"Well Centurion Nepea, you have my permission to go in. We could use even 100 men at this point."

The Legate walked over to a terminal and started downloading information off it. He gave it to Centurion Nepea.

"This is some of the relevant information about forces in the area and where we think the 4th company is. For Alesia."

Centurion read the pad quickly and handed it back.

"For Alesia!"

Centurion Nepea saluted and did an about face. He walked out of the makeshift bunker headquarters and exited into a rubbled building which was taking artillery fire. The building shook from the artillery shells falling outside, but the building was solid enough to withstand direct hits. He walked toward the door and exited outside. It was late afternoon, with a red setting sun shining over a smoke and dust filled city. Many buildings were on fire from the furious battle raging in the streets. Gunfire and the scream of artillery shells filled the air, along with the occasional scream of pain. It was starting to get dark, but there was still 2 hours of daylight left. Centurion saw his squad in a small trench outside waiting for him. He ran over, running to cover as he went. One never knew where there might be clone snipers. He finally got inside the trench and looked at his 20 man squad.

"Alright Legionnaires, listen up. I have been ordered to take the squad out and go rescue 4th company in 3rd battalion. They are holed up in what remains of a bank vault about 6 miles north of here. We are to extract them to a town square about half a mile northeast of their position. There is heavy opposition. We know of at least 2 clone battalions in the area. We will probably find many patrols. I want each separate fireteam of 5 to cover the rest of the squad as we advance, every 20 meters, I want a second fireteam to cover the remaining portion of the squad as the previous covering squad runs past. And so on as we advance. That way, we can provide covering fire for the entire squad in case of an ambush. For Alesia."

The men roared as they stood up.

"For Alesia!"

They readied themselves and fetched their equipment. They were ready within a minute as they started to advance across the bombed out square. They moved quickly, since speed was of the essence, hugging the walls as they advanced through the rubble piles. After an hour of moving silently through the streets, Nepea hand signaled to his men to turn right as he looked at a map quickly in his helmet. He frowned as he shut off the map. According to the map, the unit should be within sight by now. But he didn't see it. Something was not right. He frowned as an Elite came up.

"Centurion! There is a column of clone armor coming in. 400 meters!"

Nepea shouted.

"Clone armor incoming! Everyone hide! Into that building! Get up the stairs! Go!"

The Legionnaires ran into a doorway and began to climb up the stairs of the skyscraper. Centurion Nepea followed his 20 men up as they walked up a few dozen flights of stairs. They came to a door. He signaled his men to open the door as they took covering positions. The door was opened and they walked out to emerge on a walkway. It connected with the building next to it. Many such beautiful walkways were destroyed already by the clone invasion, for it once was a place of beauty where many civilians walked in better times. Centurion Nepea paused for a moment as he watched the smoke filled city from his perch hundreds of feet up. It saddened him to see this once beautiful Core World devastated. He snapped out of the momentary trance and soberly realized that he was tired. Combat fatigue had set in. Over 2 weeks of some of the most desperate and bitter fighting with little rest had done that to him.

He ran along the walkway as his men broke for the cover of the other side. As he ran into the opposing entryway, he heard gunfire coming from below. The Legionnaires walked down the steps and the gunfire began to get louder. They advanced slowly, not sure how far down it was. Nepea peeked down the stairs and couldn't see anything. After what seemed like an eternity, they emerged from the stairs on ground level. The roar of gunfire and the scream of artillery shells were apparent now that they were much closer. Nepea peeked around the corner of the doorway and saw clone tanks firing at a building in the distance. Streams of blue plasma were being fired at the clone infantry closing to advance on what he was certain was the position of the 4th company. He spoke quickly in his vox.

"Legion HQ, this is Nepea. I have eyes on enemy armor engaging 4th company. Requesting air strike on the enemy columns!"

"Uh negative, Centurion. All air support is already engaged. You are on your own. I am sorry."

Nepea growled as he checked his belt. He had a breaching charge and several antimatter grenades, but he knew his men did not have any drone launchers with them. Their loadout was designed with speed in mind, not firepower. He gathered his men around them and spoke quickly.

"Alright, this is the plan. They do not know we are here. The clone tanks are vulnerable. There is no infantry guarding them. We have evaded the patrols and we are in prime position to take the tanks out. We will sneak up closer on them and then assault them, then drop antimatter grenades in the hatches. That will disable or destroy the tanks. Go."

The Legionnaires nodded as they snuck forward between the rubble piles. Nepea nodded as the squad jumped on the 2 rearmost tanks, firing quickly to kill the tank commanders in the hatches. Nepea ran forward to the tank in front of him and scrambled to the top. The coaxial gun tried to shoot him, but he sliced off the gun turret and threw a grenade in the hatch. He jumped off and ran with his unit to the front tanks, who were starting to turn their turrets toward the ambushing Legionnaires. Nepea shouted as the tanks in the rear began to blow up. One, two, three explosions followed as they ran to the last 2 tanks.

One of the tanks fired as Nepea ducked, showered in rubble from the shell exploding close to him. Nepea fired at the shouting clone commander, sending the commander to fall down into the interior of the tank. A Legionnaire threw a grenade down the hatch and ran for his life as the tank exploded in a shower of shrapnel, the shields of the legionnaires flaring from the flying debris. Nepea ordered his men to break for cover as the infantry began to turn around and fire back at the advancing Legionnaires. The Legionnaires instantly obeyed as they ran to a wall and fired back. The clones were caught out in the open since their cover was designed to protect from the company in the front, not the squad in the rear.

Nepea's squad advanced, mowing down more squads of clones as they got closer to the company. Bursts of blue plasma started to cover Nepea's men as they ran across the small intersection to enter the building from the blown out corner. Nepea saw Legionnaires lining the walls with several anti personnel sentry guns. Bullets zipped by, occasionally hitting a Legionnaire, but their armor and shields afforded great protection against stray rounds. Nepea grabbed a centurion by the shoulder and shouted.

"Where is the commander of this company?"

The Centurion shouted back over the roar.

"He's dead! A clone sniper picked him off early in the firefight! I am commanding the company at the moment in his place!"

Nepea shouted back.

"Where is Elite Nerona Belera?"

The Elite nodded to the back.

"He is back there, holding a doorway. He is wounded pretty badly though."

Nepea shouted back.

"Thank you! Prepare to evacuate the company! I am here to get your unit out! The battle does not go well! We might have to evacuate the planet! We are heading to a square about a half a mile from here! I have the location here on the map!"

He handed over the datapad with the location. The Centurion looked at it briefly and nodded.

"Very well! I will get the men out, fighting a delaying action as we head for this square! The transport jumpers will pick us up right?"

"That is the idea, Centurion! Move out!"

"Yes Centurion!"

The two centurions saluted each other, though they were of the same rank. Nepea got up and headed through a maze of hallways and exited into a bombed out room. A squad was here holding a position, but there was little opposition back here. He noticed his brother laying against a wall. Nepea winced. It looked like Nerona lost alot of blood. He scrambled over and shouted.

"Hello little brother! How are you doing?"

The Elite grinned slightly.

"I am ok. If it wasn't for the clone bullets in my leg and chest, I could kill them all!"

Nerona coughed slightly as he held his shoulder.

"It's not that bad."

Nepea bent down to examine it.

"It is pretty bad. You should go see a healer."

"After. Not now."

Nepea grabbed his younger brother and hauled him to his feet.

"Come on. Let's go. We got a half mile to go to get to the jumpers."

Nepea put an arm around his brother as the legionnaires began to evacuate from the building, firing at the clone infantry below. The 90 Legionnaires ran out in columns as shells exploded around them. Nepea screamed for the men to run as fast as possible, stooping to carry his brother on his shoulders as he began to run as well to the cover of the nearby buildings. The Legionnaires moved quickly, stumbling slightly to get over the rubble strewn street. Nepea took a quick look at the map of the city in his helmet viewer and knew he was close. He shouted into his vox as a missile streaked over the buildings and blew a corner off one of the buildings in front of him.

"Legion HQ, this is Nepea. Request beamout from the transport jumpers!"

"Negative, jamming fields are in place. The jumpers will have to land. I have tasked 4 fighters to take out anti air batteries. It will be up to your legionnaires to cover against portable AA weapons."

"Understood! Moving to the square! We are 5 minutes away. Nepea out!"

Nepea ran, dodging bursts of gunfire as distant clone infantry tried to shoot him. The Legionnaires fired back wildly, making the clones duck in their positions as the Legionnaires filed out in the square. A scream was heard as 4 fighters swooped overhead, dozens of drones fired into the tops of the buildings and the alleys below. Several oversized jumpers began to land in the square, the fighters circilnig overhead, strafing the clone infantry as the besieged Legionnaires ran quickly into the jumpers. Nepea grimaced as he entered one of the jumpers and set his brother down. A Healer strode over and started to tend to him.

Nepea stood up and watched as his unit filed in and the jumper door closed. Nepea looked out of the front cockpit window and saw the remaining jumpers taking off, escorted by the fighters as they headed back to base. Tommorrow would see more battle, but for now, all that mattered was that his brother was safe.


	42. Homefront

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 42: Homefront**

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**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Core Region / Alesia Sector / Alesia III**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 8**

**Day 1 - 20:46:19**

The Alesian High Command was a flurry of activity as the generals and officers were debating strategy and pondering over the sensor arrays that guarded the approaches to Alesia. A controller was talking to the defense grids in that area of the solar system.

"Sector 41, we are reading 400 plus unknown hyperspace signatures in your sector, please verify."

There was a pause as the officer in charge snorted.

"Very funny, AleHiComm. That is a big negative over. I read nothing on my sensor arrays and there is no visuals or subspace signals."

The controller frowned.

"Very well."

More dots on the display of the Alesian home system showed.

"Sector 109, we are reading 600 plus ships in your sector, please verify."

The officer answered quickly.

"Negative HiComm. I read nothing."

The controller sighed.

"Ugh, General...we might have a fault in the sensor arrays."

Then the controller bolted forward as he watched the holographic display.

"Sector 12, I am reading thousands of ships in your sector, please verify!"

The voice that came back was panicked.

"They're everywhere!"

"Sector 12 repeat!"

"There are thousands of them! How the hell did they navigate the minefield!"

The High Command was flurried with even more activity as the controller spoke.

"All sectors on maximum alert! Enemy forces have breached the outer mine perimeter! The Tok'ra Fleet has broken into the inner perimeter! Reading multiple hyperspace signatures in multiple sectors! The Tok'ra fleet is here! The dogs mean to end the war! All remaining forces attack!"

* * *

_A few minutes later..._

Amann was drinking at his table in his quarters, staring coldly at the table. He was sick of the entire war, sick of losing, and perhaps sick of life itself. He had shadows under his eyes, a full week's growth of facial hair, and his hair was messed up and unkempt. Suddenly he heard banging on his door and the officer outside shouted.

"Councilor! Alesia is under attack! The Tok'ra are here!"

Amann stood up and drained his glass. He snarled in anger and threw his glass at the wall, the glass shattering upon impact. He ran toward the door and threw it open in a fury, sending the officer reeling back. Amann roared.

"Chiyou! I will kill him myself! Beam me to my ship! This war ends here! With his death or mine!"

Amann looked down at the officer he threw against the wall. He sneered as he was beamed up to the AES _Angelan_ in orbit. He growled as he sat down in the control chair. He looked around at the Legionnaires manning their stations at the bridge.

"What are you waiting for? Take this ship in combat! Now! I will have Chiyou's head! I will wring the life out of his worthless carcass! Go!"

The Legionnaires scrambled, half afraid of their leader. They thought they knew the man they served under for thousands of years. They did not recognize the half crazed man sitting in front of them now. The ship began to move as Amann started to breathe in and out heavily.

"Yes...order the entire fleet to engage the enemy! All defense platforms online! Turn on the planetary shield as well as the city shields! Chiyou will be surprised by our new upgrades to the defense system!"

The Legionnaires nodded in affirmation as the _Angelan _formed up at the head of the Alesian fleet as it moved in a formation designed to maximize their firepower. The Alesian ships fired first at the Tok'ra fleet, the beams and ion cannons impacting the shields of the Tok'ra ships with bright flashes of light. The Tok'ra fired torpedoes and pulse weapons back as the distance closed between the two massive fleets of ships. They outnumbered the Alesian ships 20 to 1. They were confident of victory, despite the large defense grid. Surrounded by thousands of warships, the giant flagship of ChiYou moved forward. The ship was monstrous, nearly 20 km long and 10 km tall, with 6 detachable pyramids mounted on the superstructure of the Ha'tak. The pyramids were arranged in a circular pattern around the central pyramid. Chiyou was gloating on the bridge of the massive flagship as he yelled with fury.

"The way to Alesia is open! Burn everything! Their ships, their people. But leave Amann alive! I want to kill him myself! I want to see him watch his world burn and his race exterminated before I take his life! There will be no more Alesia or Alesians after this day! There will be no dawn for Alesia!"

The Tok'ra officers and clones on the bridge cheered as the fleet pressed forward, eager to kill Alesians. ChiYou was smiling with a feral grin until he noticed something strange.

"What is that?"

The Tok'ra officer looked at the sensors.

"It appears to be a gravitational disturbance right in the middle of the fleet. I don't get it! There is no black hole or anything there! We would have seen x-rays or gamma rays if that were the case! I do not see any mass readings near..."

Chiyou roared with rage as hundreds of ships exploded, ripped apart by the disturbance.

"What the hell was that!"

"My Lord! I am reading increasing amounts of gravitons in the affected area! We need to disperse the fleet immediately or we will lose all of the ships!"

Chiyou roared.

"If we do that, we will be vulnerable to the entire Alesian defense grid! They will tear our fleet apart!"

"Sir, if we do not move the fleet now, there will be no fleet! The disturbance is too powerful! We are losing ships by the second here!"

Chiyou breathed out and nodded.

"Very well! Split the fleet into several formations! It might inflict severe casualties on our forces, something I really did not want since there is still the main Alesian fleet to deal with, but we have no choice! Tell all fleets to get to Alesia if they can, and burn the planet. Full authorization given to use biological weapons on the populace!"

The Tok'ra fleet began to split up into several groups, each heading into a different direction as the Alesian fleet and defense grid pounded the attackers. With the Tok'ra forces dispersed, it was much easier for the Alesian defense fleet to wreak fearful losses on the Tok'ra fleet. Amann pounded his chair with a sneer on his face.

"My complements to the Drow! Their worldship weapons really work! Go for ChiYou's flagship immediately! He will not escape! Attack!"

The AES _Angelan_ accelerated forward, firing thousands of drones and ion cannon shots at the Tok'ra flagship. The rest of the Alesian fleet was occupied as they clashed amid the remaining Tok'ra ships, exchanging vicious broadsides with their enemies. The space was thick with ships, mines, and defense platforms. The Alesian defense grid was strong, having been upgraded and expanded to include tens of thousands of defense platforms, planetary shields, and cloaked minefields. The Tok'ra fleet had thousands of warships against the few hundred Alesian ships in orbit, but the defense platforms were tough to take out, oftentimes requiring 2 capital ships to destroy one platform, which were little more than remote platforms that oriented beam weapons and fired drones and ion cannon bolts at the attackers. The Alesians anticipated an attack on their homeworld for months and had prepared accordingly. The Alesian homeworld had turned into a deathtrap for the Tok'ra as hundreds of thousands of beams impacted on the Tok'ra shields. The entire system was turning into a dangerous debris field, making it hazardous for fighters and even gunships to navigate through it to attack the enemy.

The _Angelan_ closed to within 100,000 km of the Tok'ra flagship and pounded the upgraded flagship. ChiYou sneered at the _Angelan_'s attack. It was a formidable Alesian ship, but not good enough to defeat his ship one on one.

"Helm, set an intercept course. Target the _Angelan_. Shoot to disable only, not destroy. I want prisoners! I want Amann captured! He is coming to us and he will be my prize!"

The Tok'ra warship headed for the _Angelan_, the distance between the two ships was rapidly closing. Amann growled in fury as the weapons from the Tok'ra warship pounded the shields of the _Angelan_. The female centurion at the controls shouted.

"Shields are at 40%! We can't take much more of this!"

Amann shouted back.

"Maintain your course! Destroy her at all costs! Launch fighters!"

The female centurion nodded as over 200 Interceptors were launched from the fighter bays, streaking toward the flagship of ChiYou. The _Angelan_ was shaking underneath the constant bombardment of the massive Tok'ra ship, the exchange of blue Protoss bolts and Ion cannon rounds continuing between the two hated enemies. The _Angelan_ shuddered as her shields failed, with the Tok'ra's shields weakened severely by the combined assault from the fighters and the escorting fleet for the _Angelan_. The hull of the _Angelan_ was ringed in fire, the armor shone from the ferocious bombardment in multiple places as parts of the armor were blasted away into the void of space. Fire raged across the hull of the 8 kilometer long destroyer. The dark haired female Legionnaire called out as the computer console beeped in alarm.

"Shields are down! Hull impacts on all sides! Armor is almost compromised! Structural integrity is compromised!"

Amann looked around for a moment.

"Abandon ship. Sound the evacuation alarm."

The Legionnaires nodded and started to beam off in flashes of white light. The female Legionnaire looked toward Amann, who was heading for the helm control.

"What are you doing?"

Amann turned toward her as he set a collision course for ChiYou's flagship in the helm computer.

"I am going down and taking that bastard with me. You get off. Now."

The female Legionnaire appeared to leave and Amann turned toward the helm control and typed in the codes for the self destruct. The female Legionnaire spoke quietly in her vox and walked quietly toward Amann. She grabbed him quickly as both people were beamed off the ship to another ship close by. It took Amann a few seconds to realize he was not on the _Angelan_. Amann roared with fury and grabbed the female Legionnaire. He was angered, more angry than the female Legionnaire ever seen him in 22,000 years.

"Why did you do that? I intended to take Chiyou with me! I was to die with my ship!"

Amann turned toward the bridge window as he watched the _Angelan_ crash into the flagship of ChiYou, whose shields had failed also from the strain of the combined assault by the Alesian fleet. 4 of the 6 smaller pyramids took off from the damaged Ha'tak, accelerating away. Amann shielded his eyes as the antimatter reactor exploded onboard the _Angelan_, destroying both ships in a spectacular fireball that showered the nearby ships. Secondary explosions blew apart the debris as the antimatter missiles and secondary reactors on the _Angelan_ also underwent the process of annihilation with matter. 2 of the 4 escaping pyramids were destroyed from the successive shock waves. Amann blinked away a few tears and bowed his head in sadness. The female centurion spoke quietly.

"It is said when a starship dies in battle, a star begins to shine."

Amann merely nodded as he turned away, walking slowly toward the bridge exit. He did not appear interested in the battle, which had turned decisively in the Alesian's favor as the remaining Tok'ra ships were isolated and destroyed. Barely a fifth of the Tok'ra fleet was able to escape to fight another day. The female legionnaire watched him go, sadness in her eyes as she turned away and exited the bridge after a few minutes and headed for a cargo bay. She waited patiently, disconnecting her holo-disguise as Taelira appeared before her.

"Well Galadriel? What have you found?"

Galadriel adjusted the armor she had on.

"I am convinced that it is either Demos or Janilius. No one else could have done this much manipulation and get away with it in the Lower Council, and anyone that could have done it in the Lower Council has been accounted for. There is no one in the Lower Council capable of manipulating my brother this easily. I am convinced it is Demos or Janilius. There is no one else."

Taelira nodded slowly.

"Yes. I agree."

Galadriel held her head in dismay.

"He is crazy as a bat, my brother that is. He is in too much pain to think straight, and it is turning the people against him when he makes mistakes that backfire on him. I worry for him. It is likely that he will be removed from the council soon. We have to find out if it is Demos or Janilius."

Taelira frowned as she rubbed her head.

"Yes. I will find out soon enough from my other spies."

Galadriel looked at her sadly.

"Is there no way to help my brother?"

Taelira nodded.

"There is, but we have to consider if we should. After all, if we help him and reveal that you are alive, then we will never find out who is behind the manipulation of our government. The plotters will hide and never surface again, they will be too careful in hiding their treason. We have to purge our government of this taint, and even as important as Amann is to Alesia, he is one man to an entire Empire's good if we don't find out who is behind it."

Galadriel looked down and finally nodded in agreement.

"I guess, but it pains me to see him this way."

Taelira nodded.

"Yes I know. It pains me too. But we have to consider the greater good."

Galadriel activated her holo-disguise and the form of the dark haired female Legionnaire was seen once more.

"I will spy on Demos now. If I cannot find anything, then it will be most likely Janilius. We will consult again in a few weeks."

Taelira nodded.

"Very well."


	43. The Wrath of the Eagle

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 43: The Wrath of the Eagle**

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**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Berian IV**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 9**

**Day 124 - 09:41:19**

The once prosperous planet of Berian IV was now a smoking ruin, the wrecked cities turned into warzones. Nearly 4 months have passed since the clones landed on this once peaceful Mid-Region world. This world, not considered important by the Tok'ra command, was rapidly consuming resources and manpower the Tok'ra could ill afford, especially among their officer corps. Even the Tok'ra general in command of this world had fallen to an ambush earlier that week. Despite the clone's best efforts, the civilians and the still at large Alesian forces were able to wrest control of the cities away from the clone armies of ChiYou, driving them into the massive supply depots fueling the armies fighting in the Core Region worlds against the main Alesian forces. The Tok'ra were starting to run out of supplies finally, the Alesian forces getting stronger with the addition of reserve Legions and mass recruitment of new Legions and militia forces. General Galen was grim in his assessment, but he knew that the clone position was weakening greatly while his own was improving. Legate Renate, his second in command, was also confident of eventual victory especially after hearing of the Alesian victory over Alesia itself. The Tok'ra fleets were greatly weakened and it was only a matter of time before the clone armies ran out of steam.

General Galen sneered in contempt as he watched the displays in his office in the Legion HQ, hidden in the mountains under a powerful cloaking device. The Legionnaires and militia were holed up in massive mountain bunkers and cloaked camps everywhere across the planet, having hidden themselves well enough that the Tok'ra could not guess how many forces were really on the planet. He had taken careful care to use only the 3 Legions the clones had faced in battle, leaving 4 Legions hidden. His battle scarred face was lit up by the various display consoles and holographic images. Suddenly there was a knock at the door and he looked up.

"Come!"

The door opened and Legate Renate entered the room, her raven black hair sweeping behind her. Her blue eyes were normally full of mirth, but they were hardened steel as she handed a pad over.

"General Galen sir, I have just come in from scouting the clone positions outside Grarinos. They are amassing all of their forces there for what appears to be a push in force into the city. It looks like they want to retake that one city and use the communication array to contact their forces for reinforcements. Seems like they did not like the raid we launched on their arrays a week ago. There are no ships in orbit that we can detect, so they want to use the civilian arrays. Grarinos is the closest city to their main compound. I have scouted this position myself with an elite squad.

She paused for breath.

"Sir, I believe this position they are in is formidable, but also vulnerable to a powerful strike that will crush the clone armies on this planet! I can lead the attack on their right flank according to the pad I have given you. There is a road that leads about 3 miles in front of their forward positions, I know the route. Their right flank is bent at right angles facing this section of brush country that will not allow vehicles to pass through. I believe that they do not think this position can be attacked without warning due to the dense brush. They would hear and see any sizable force, but they are mistaken in this regard. Now, it is a great distance to hit this flank, perhaps 30 miles, but my Valkyries can do it. My sisters have never let me down. I know I cannot beam the force there due to the intense jamming fields they have set up."

General Galen considered the plan of attack.

"It will be difficult to move the force undetected, so many things will have to go right for us to attack their flank undetected. But it is the best chance to destroy their army outright. We must attack the attackers, we have to beat them at their own game. Take your entire 82nd Legion, the 35th Legion, and the 174th Legion...and destroy the enemy."

Legate Renate saluted smartly.

"Yes sir."

General Galen paused.

"I will take the 20th, the 54th, the 677th Legion, and the remaining militia complement. They will diversion in front of the enemy encampment to draw any reserves forward. Also sending the 267th Legion to the enemy left flank to send forces from the right flank to reinforce the left flank. They will think that is all of the forces we have to attack them."

He grinned ferally. It was a cruel smile with no mercy to the enemy.

"We will crush their army and bathe in their blood. We will swoop down with the razor sharp talons of the Alesian Eagle and rip their eyes out before the kill! I will also deploy the artillery pieces under cloak to attack their own artillery before it can be brought against you. I like this new tool of war the Militia have lent us. We have been modifying it to great effect. Once the enemy headquarters are captured and you smashed their jammers, they will be leaderless and try to drive you out. We will press the diversionary forces forward and smash their much weakened positions. The talons will close in. We practiced this maneuver at the Alesian Military Institute for ages. The Legionnaires and Militia will know exactly what to do."

Legate Renate gave a grin back.

"Understood sir. I will move immediately."

She saluted and walked out of the office. She had a battle to win.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Berian IV**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 9**

**Day 124 - 15:41:19**

Legate Renate had been marching all day with her Legion and the 2 Legions attached to her. She had been one of the original 50,000 Alesian colonists that followed Amann himself into exile, which gave her enormous respect in the Empire. Her rank and age conferred seniority over most of the Legates in the Alesian military. Even many generals deferred to her judgment in the past, recognizing her status and masterful command of strategy. Such potential would have seen her promotion to general, but she had declined promotion several times, preferring to remain with her Legion. She loved being in the field with those under her command. She moved silently with her Legion into the brush, making little noise as the Legionnaires moved into position. She turned to the Legate of the 174th Legion.

"Legate Rhodes, you will deploy your Legion on my right, battalion front. How soon can Legate Delan's Legion be up?"

Legate Delan saluted as he walked up behind her.

"We are right behind Rhodes, Legate Renate."

Renate nodded.

"Very well. deploy to my left. Spread the entire Legion on my left so as to swing around and hit the enemy further down the line. Destroy communication centers and jammers to allow localized beaming for our forces. I will strike their extreme flank with the force of a hammer. Rhodes will hit the line and roll them up. I want our attacks to hit after the communication centers are downed so they cannot call for reinforcements right away. Deploy your men."

Legate Rhodes and Delan saluted and walked off. Legate Renate crawled to the edge of the brush and examined the clone line 200 yards from her position. She sneered. A short sprint would see her Legionnaires in their lines within 30 seconds. This clone battalion appeared to be understrength and under-equipped. No chance. After about an hour, she sneaked back to the Legion's position deeper in the brush. She waited until she heard the vox click 5 times, signaling that the communication centers were taken. She turned to her executive officer and spoke.

"3 hours of daylight left. Are you ready, Commander Valana?"

Valana nodded at her superior officer. Renate smiled.

"You may move forward."

Valana clicked her vox 3 times, the signal for the 2 Legions to move forward and hit the flank. The Legionnaires moved forward silently, not wanting to alert the clones until the last possible minute. As they neared the edge of the brush, Renate yelled out for all to hear.

"FOR ALESIA!"

The Legionnaires cheered and carried the cry as they charged out of the brush toward the unprepared clones, waving their blue and gold Alesian eagle banners high. The clones looked up and scrambled quickly, but not quick enough as the bursts of plasma ripped through their positions as the Legionnaires ran into their encampment. Resistance was sporadic and spotted, quickly eliminated by the powerful Alesian strike. The few remaining clones started fleeing, trying to spread the alarm without success as they were mercilessly run down. The Legionnaires cheered as they pushed deeper into the flank, sweeping aside any isolated clone units as they smashed farther into the clone lines. Renate heard distant gunfire and knew that the battle was joined in the center and the opposing flank. Galen had struck as well, pinning down any units that could pull out and impede her attack. Renate winced as clone artillery began to fire. Their artillery was good and aimed well as her attack force began to take casualties. She radioed over the encrypted vox.

"General Galen, I am taking fire from the artillery! I need those taken down!"

She heard Galen's laughter over the vox.

"Don't worry yourself Renate. We were allowing the clones to fire their first rounds. We know their artillery positions now. All of them. Fire finder sensors have been tracking their artillery shells and plotting their positions. Suppression fire is inbound."

Renate heard the scream of artillery in the distance, knowing that it had to be the howitzers of the militia. She saw explosions in the distance and smiled grimly as she ordered the attack to be continued onward to the enemy headquarters.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Berian IV**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 9**

**Day 124 - 17:35:34**

Galen watched as the artillery pieces decloaked and began to fire, the militia commander giving orders to his howitzers. The militia officer roared to his men.

"Anti armor shell! Range is plotted in the targeting computer from fire finder!"

The men began to load the artillery pieces quickly, having drilled consistently over the last 4 months. The militia commander nodded with approval.

"Fire! All pieces! Fire and reload!"

The entire line of artillery pieces flared red as the massive caliber shells were fired from their barrels at high velocity. Galen knew that there was nothing the clones could do now to prevent the artillery shells, for the Alesians had added their own technology to the new shells they had produced over the past 4 months. They were capable of phasing through the Goa'uld style shields now that disruptor generators were added, and also contained antimatter explosives that were no longer affected by the strange smoke screen that stopped physical shell projectiles from impacting the self propelled pieces of the clone artillery. He smiled as dozens of explosions were seen in the distance. Within 10 minutes of the initial bombardment, the clone artillery was silenced forever, the artillery tanks reduced to burning husks and fiery slag. He heard Renate call out a thank you before she roared in fury and the sound of battle was heard over the vox set. He ordered the artillery to be turned on the clone infantry positions as he ordered his Legionnaires and militia to press the attack forward. There was no stopping the Alesian juggernaut.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Berian IV**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 9**

**Day 124 - 20:34:59**

Renate snickered as she finally sighted the clone HQ complex. Night had already fallen and flares were being shot up everywhere to illuminate the battlefield. She knew the clone positions in front were being hammered hard, judging from the reports of General Galen to her comm link. The clone army was struck cold, unable to respond to the multiple threats. The left flank also collapsed an hour ago as the lone Legion hit the weakened flank position. The clone force was nearly surrounded, unable to mount an effective defense as the remnants of the frontline units were scattered in the rear. She nodded to her bodyguard unit as they ran toward the HQ complex. The gates were shut, but that posed no problem as demolition explosives were placed at the gate, disintegrating the reinforced metal gateway. Renate rushed in. She fired as 3 clones fled out of a doorway with their rifles, downing the clones before they could fire back. She screamed to her bodyguards.

"Follow me! Take the compound! For Alesia!"

The Valkyries cheered as they started to clear the compound, uttering war cries over the intense firefight that was ongoing as the clones continued to retreat deeper in the complex. Renate ran up a set of stairs, trying to get to the main building. She spotted a Tok'ra general and grinned. This had to be the general in command of all the forces on this planet. No one else had those pure gold shoulder pads. She nodded to her Legionnaires as they advanced on the Elites that were guarding the general. The Elites were busy firing on the Legionnaires with their Tri-B blaster rifles. While the Elites were effective, they were far outnumbered and the 6 Elites fell quickly to concentrated plasma blaster fire.

Renate dove into the falling ranks at the Tok'ra, her blades activating with a hiss as it superheated the air. The Tok'ra raised his disruptor blade and parried her thrust, then he swung for her head. Renate ducked underneath the swipe and slashed at the Tok'ra, their blades clashing in a burst of white light as they fought grimly in the light of the flares. They danced the dance of death as they circled each other, swinging and thrusting with blurs of their energy blades. No human could follow the battle from the genetically engineered warriors of both the clone combat hosts for the Tokr'a and the Alesian Legionnaires, such was the speed of these super-soldiers. Renate smashed aside a thrust and threw a flare in the Tok'ra officer's face, diving toward a presented opening.

There was no darkness in the compound as flares were thrown everywhere. The Legionnaires dueled fiercely with the clones. No quarter was given or asked from both sides as they mercilessly exterminated any enemy they could kill.

Renate knew the battle was hers as she cried out and dove her plasma blade in the general's heart. The general sputtered as he tried to drive his blade down into her, but she grabbed the wrist holding the blade and broke it. The blade fell down with a clatter as the general collapsed, his life taken. Renate ripped off the shoulder pad of the Tok'ra officer with superhuman strength, the metal tearing from the breastplate. She would add it to the pile of officer's insignia she personally killed. She nodded to her bodyguards as they climbed the stairs on the main tower, heading for the roof of the structure. Renate nodded to her bodyguards as they entered the observation tower and killed the 2 clones working the controls.

Renate continued up the steps with a color guard and her remaining bodyguards, finally reaching the roof high above the battlefield. Bullets zipped by occasionally, unaimed for the most part. Renate fired blue flares on the roof of the tower, letting Galen know the HQ was under their control as she ran along the roof toward the flagpost. She cut down the Roc-bird red flag of the Tok'ra Republic and cheered with her Legionnaires as several members of the color-guard started to raise the blue flag of the gold Alesian Eagle over the command post. The remaining Legionnaires on the roof shot off more blue and white flares to illuminate the flag for all of the combatants to see. A massive cheer went up from the courtyard as the Alesians continued to crush the Tok'ra army. Renate listened to the reports for a few minutes as she watched the battle finish in the compound. The entire complex was theirs. She heard General Galen chirp in the vox set.

"Congratulations Renate. The clones are on the run. They are trapped and disorganized. This battle is won. Kill them all. Leave no survivors."

Renate smirked.

"Yes sir! The HQ is ours! I have also had the command center taken. The intel will be useful for our forces. I have learned that this world was a massive supply depot for their forces, and judging from the stockpiles of supplies, they will be sorely missed by the Tok'ra. I would even say this world fueled the majority of their thrust into the southern Core Worlds. No more. They are beaten!"

"That sounds very good Legate. I will have to view this intel myself. We will retreat in the mountains after this battle and let any reinforcements search for us in vain. There will be no clone survivors to tell them of what happened here."

"Understood! By dawn, the battle will be finished and my Legion will get out of the area."

"Very good Legate. Galen out."

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Jati II**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 9**

_In orbit..._

The famed Tok'ra General Persus was sitting in his quarters, reading several reports from the army commanders in the field. He heard the doors of his quarters open and he looked up to see his aide-de-camp holding a datapad.

"Oh yes, Homiye. Thank you. Leave it on the desk."

Homiye nodded as he walked the distance to the desk and placed the pad on the table. He turned away slowly. Persus appeared occupied. Suddenly Homiye dove toward Persus, a silver gleam in his hand as he dove the knife into the back of the neck of the Tok'ra, instantly killing him as he severed the vertebrate of both the symbiote and the host. He grinned as he allowed the poison on the knife to seep in, preventing the revival of Persus. He stood up and wiped the blood on the robe of his victim, pausing only to remove several data crystals. Any intelligence was helpful.

"Talon to Eagle's nest. Target is neutralized."

"Understood Talon. Death's Hand is pleased. Continue with secondary objective. Eagle's nest out."

The Death Hand operative sneered. He knew several Tok'ra generals would be dead within a matter of hours. He walked out of the quarters and nodded to the Elites standing guard outside. He was the aide-de-camp to Persus, giving him access to every area of the ship. That included the reactors of the ship. He readied his plasma pistol and walked inside, firing at the technicians inside main engineering. A few well aimed shots disabled the shield generator as the operative set down a small device. He smirked as he beamed off the ship to a cloaked jumper. He was greeted by a Death Hand Legionnaire.

"Success?"

The operative merely smirked as he pointed toward the distant Tok'ra ship as it exploded in a massive blue fireball, setting off secondary explosions that damaged the nearby escort ships.

"What do you think?"

The Legionnaire gave a merciless grin.

"I think General Hiei will be most pleased."

"You are damn right. Get me to Home Base. I got some intel that will be useful."

He held up the data crystals as both men walked to the cockpit of the jumper and entered hyperspace. Over the course of a few days, 39 more Tok'ra generals were assassinated, along with several hundred lesser officers in key positions. The Death's Hand made their presence felt.


	44. The Blades of the Drow

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 44: The Blades of the Drow**

**

* * *

**

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Earth: Earth Sector/ Earth / Stargate Command**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 9**

"Mr President."

President Hayes' face smiled and nodded on the screen, the background on the screen showed the Oval Office behind him.

"General O'Neill, it's good to see you again."

The screen next to that showed General Hammond's face in the 3-way conference call.

"General Hammond. Good to see you again, sir."

"It's good to see the team once more, General O'Neill."

O'Neill nodded.

"Yes sir. Carter is taking care of them so far, but it is hard finding a 4th member of SG-1."

Hayes smiled.

"Well, that's enough formality. Jack, so, tell me about this report that I have in front of me. The Tok'ra are being forced back?"

"Yes sir. Thor was just here telling me how the Alesians won several victories over the Tok'ra armies. Apparently ChiYou tried to hit Alesia and force the war into an Alesian surrender. He failed badly at trying that. The Alesians trapped most of his attacking fleet and destroyed it."

O'Neill paused.

"Thor will probably be at the Oval Office in a few moments. He said he had to confer with the Asgard High Council regarding the situation in the galaxy here."

Hammond lifted up the folder with the report in it.

"It says here that the main Alesian fleet has escaped the attacks by the System Lords. What is happening with the System Lords regarding this? You know that our concern is if the Alesian-Tok'ra War would spread to the rest of the galaxy."

"Well Mr. President, the System Lords are busy fortifying their positions. They seem to have this crazy idea that the Alesians are going to stomp them now that the Alesians have beaten the Tok'ra out of their primary systems. I don't know, it probably has to do with something regarding the System Lords stabbing the Alesians in the back. Again."

Hayes narrowed his eyes.

"As George has said, we are deeply concerned about the war spilling over to our side of the galaxy. We can handle System Lords, but the IOA and the Gate Alliance are not happy with the current situation. We have very little intel of our own, and our close allies are at war with each other."

Hammond nodded.

"Also, with the System Lords now armed with improved shields and weapons, and Ba'al having taken over Anubis' forces... We are the weakest of the major powers in the galaxy."

O'Neill nodded.

"It is true, but the rest of the major powers seem to be occupied with fighting each other. But there will be victors and losers eventually, and then we have to consider our situation. We have time, but only so much before they turn their attention to Earth."

Hayes nodded to that.

"I have authorized an additional 2 billion dollars into the ship-building project, and the IOA has promised an influx of at least 4 billion dollars more... but tell me Jack, will that be enough?"

O'Neill frowned.

"I am not sure. The best ally we could have is if we could forge another treaty and bring our allies to the table."

Hammond gestured on the screen and Major Davis, who was in the room, handed a folder to O'Neill.

"Jack, that is the report on the formation of Homeworld Intelligence, a branch of the Department of Homeworld Security. Deputy Director Kevin Leed will come visit you later today to discuss a few things about returning some of the retired members of SGC into the field as intelligence agents. He is also the head of the SG Defence of Area 51, who designs and builds the ships."

Hayes continued.

"The IOA has a lot of faith in him. He is well liked and quite intelligent. I have met with him."

O'Neill looked at Hayes.

"Well we could use more intel on the war between the Alesians and Tok'ra. The Asgard are proving useful in observing fleet movements as well. Seems like the Tok'ra or the Alesians care to impede the Asgard at the moment, too busy killing each other it seems..."

Hammond replied.

"We are talking about the System Lords and Ba'al, Jack. We know that the Asgard have agreed to keep an eye on the Alesians and Tok'ra, but remember that our main opponents will be Ba'al, and the System Lords. As weakened as they are the System Lords still holds enormous advantage over us in terms of baseline technologies and resources as well as manpower they can field."

O'Neill nodded.

"Yes sir. But thankfully we have some Asgard and Alesian technology able to withstand an invasion, at least initially."

Hammond frowned a little.

"Jack, you realize that despite the technologies we have, we actually have very little utilization of those technologies."

Hayes continued.

"That's why we formed the SG Defence at Area 51. We believe that this new team will come up with ideas... plausible ideas... to help defend ourselves. They have prepared a set of items they would like Colonel Carter to check over. When is SG-1 due back?"

O'Neill spoke.

"Carter reported in an hour ago. They are due back later today. Apparently they are checking out some Ancient ruins on a planet."

"I see. Well, the Joint Chiefs and the IOA feels... Strongly about this, Jack."

Hammond added on that.

"And, as a possible need for resources increase, the Department of Homeworld Security is sending a report to SGC, regarding... a strong recommendation to form a few teams focused on resource detection."

O'Neill nodded again.

"I could form the 4 new teams into resource detection teams and survey teams. We could also task a few of the older teams to do the same thing as well."

Hayes nodded.

"The IOA has agreed on another 250 million dollars in funding for the commissioning of another 5 teams. Also, they want those teams with mixed nationalities."

O'Neill frowned.

"I would ask why, but I assume it has to do with political reasons."

"Yes. They recognize the issue with the Russian team they had before, and decided that mixed teams would be better. Also, for any additional mixed teams, SGC will get 10 million in funding."

Hammond made a comment.

"The British and French are pushing this as much as the Russians and Chinese... So... Your choice, Jack."

O'Neill grumbled.

"Alright. I suppose I could mix a few of the teams up. It does tend to get fairly annoying if you get what I mean."

Hayes and Hammond nodded. Both had served in the military as well and knew full well how much political constraints got in the way.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Mid Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Outer Region / Tarsus Sector / Kideon IV**

**Day 1 - 20:16:03**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 9**

Kideon IV was a planet that used to be in the outskirts of the Alesian Empire. Its population was small, its resources poor, and it was generally an unimportant colony of Alesians who wanted to live a rustic life. That ended when the Clones came. They destroyed every Alesian on the planet, and then began to set up huge structures across the planet. Automated mining processes had began to violently strip mineral resources from the planet, as if not caring for the future of the planet. A dozen foundries were set up, automated and linked to the mining facilities. Factories were set up and shipyards were constructed. With nearly a hundred thousand Clones standing guard, this planet was one of many that were becoming a Tok'ra world where it would supply the Clone Army with necessary resources.

However, in the space above the planet, things were about to change as a dozen shimmering shapes were seen. These ships were as black as night, and as forbidding as the cold dark foundries in which they were constructed. The Drow had come to this world, having slipped their main army past ChiYou's forces for months as he advanced to the Core Worlds of the Alesian Empire.

A dozen automated satellite defenses came to life, and another dozen, still under construction, began to power their weapons. Narrow blue beams, sizzling with particle disruption powers began to lock on to the Drow ships and fired in long streams. From the planet's surface, tall towers began to power up and the three Photon Cannons on top of each tower began to fire into the space.

The Drow shields flared blue as the Alesian designed shields blocked the incoming attacks. Thanks to their long standing alliance with the Alesians, the Drow were given many Alesian technologies for their forces and had in turn given their superior metallurgy techniques to the Alesians. The Drow began to fire back, purple beams and green bolts flew toward the targeted defense batteries.

The paltry dozen satellites and another dozen half-built ones were no match against the Drow taskforce. Indeed, the Drow picked their target well. Kideon IV was still early in the construction of defenses. Even the ground defenses were only one-third completed in construction. The clones quickly manned their vehicles and prepare to fight against the enemies from above.

The Drow knew that the vehicles would be a problem and they began orbital bombardment of vehicle formations. Streams of green bolts flew down and impacted on the clone camps. The Drow were being careful, knowing of the clone's advantage in vehicles.

Thousands of missiles, torpedoes, beams and energy balls flew into the orbit, and struck the Drow ships. City-level shields protected those within their protection, but there were only a few of them built.

The Drow easily evaded the Torpedoes and shot down the missiles fired up at them. They were fairly surprised at the level of protection the supply depots were given, but they suspected it would not be an easy fight. The Drow pounded down the shields with powerful bursts from their main beams, forcing the clones to flee inside the cities and compounds with their vehicles.

There were seven city-like compounds and each of those cities were protected by at least nine separate shield generators, the Tok'ra had preferred sectionalized shields over an overall city-shield. Pounded from orbit, the cities retaliated by firing its weapons. Then from the center of the city complex, a plume of blue flame was seen from the massive defense gun constructed there, The atomically de-harmonizing plasma burst, firing like a stream of solar flare, shot upward toward the Drow ships in orbit. Four missed, two nicked the shields and one struck true.

One of the Drow ships lost it's shields and was heavily damaged, but it's armor was strong, much stronger than typical Alesian ships of the same size. The Drow kept firing down as the Drow soldiers beamed down to fight the clone infantry in the supply depots, their DREC commanders close behind. The DREC's were an entirely female fighting force, among the most elite of Alesian special forces. They were comprised of both Drow and Alesian females, and were trained as they entered adulthood.

Eventually, the hastily built city-shields failed one by one, and the weapons firing became sparse. Then the Drow began to descend, firing as they began to beam down. Their fighters were modified Alesian Interceptor fighters, able to give close air support for their warriors as they advanced on the remnants of the clone army.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Outer Region / Cerion Sector / Bael III**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 9**

Three massive transport vessels slowly descended through the atmosphere, their thrusters pulsing with energy. As they settled into lower orbit, they moved forward, heading toward a small dot of glinting silver on the brownish grassland. It was still far, but as they got closer, a dozen spires, each of them reflecting the afternoon sun, were seen. They were the outermost defences of the Tok'ra compound. They formed a huge circle easily five times the size of an Alteran cityship.

As the transports approached, a section of air above the tall spires shimmered and revealed a portal. Inside the portal was a city. It was one of the finished Military Logistics Complex built by the Tok'ra using the technologies given to them by their ancestor, ChiYou. Hidden and protected by the cloaking shield, the Tok'ra forces amassed within. The underground mining networks, particular to this planet and only few others, fed the huge foundries around the north of the compound. The refined minerals were then transported through enormous energy conveyor belts into the factories. There, the refined metals were formed into weapons, vehicles, parts for the starships, and other war materials.

The area around the outer spires of the Tok'ra compounds were also occupied, but not by factories. They were huge farms. Neatly divided in 4 huge squares of farmland with paths making a cross and a control module in the middle, the farms grew foods for the Clone army as well as for the people of the conquered worlds, whose previous food suppliers were gone amid the chaos of war.

Large farming drones, looking like a grub standing up and floating, with 12 arms sticking out under their bodies, floated amid the farmlands. The advanced sensors in their heads detected any diseases or failing crops and dealt with it. It was through such methods that the Tok'ra army was fed.

The transports landed in the huge landing zone where four other transports were already being loaded with supplies. The ships landed smoothly and the Clone crew got out and went for their rest break while the Clone Engineers looked after any maintenance issues with the ships. However, they did not see the shadowy figures slipping out of their ships, skillfully hiding between the crates to avoid detection.

The Drow snuck along, their mental cloaking techniques giving little away as they managed to evade clone patrols. Little did the clones know, but nearly 50 Drow soldiers were sneaking in, led by 6 DREC's. The DREC commander was the leader of the entire group, having been given intense training in stealth and combat. She gave a nod to her soldiers as they crept along out of the landing zone.

They spotted a lone clone soldier standing beside a closed door. The clone was smoking a cigarette. The DREC crept up, giving her soldiers a silent mental command to hold position as she readied her knife. She darted from behind a crate, grabbing the soldier's mouth from behind and plunging the knife into the side of the clone, the Drow blade piercing through the armor into the heart. The clone went limp in her arms as the DREC dragged the body to rest in a isolated spot behind the crates. She signaled as the Drow opened the door and started to sneak their way in, quietly eliminating any guards along the way. Thanks to their cloaks, they were able to evade detection. One of the Drow accessed a computer terminal and found the location of the clone commanders in the security network. The Drow then disabled and erased the security protocols.

As the Drow forces slithered deeper into the compound, they found more patrols, all working in a great synchronized pattern that 'almost' covered every corner. Almost.

Fortunately, the Drow had accessed the network, and without the superior detection grid system, the Clones had to rely on their eyes and their helmets. This allowed the Drow to slip past the tiny gaps in their patrols, the gaps which were supposed to be covered by the automated defenses.

Within the HQ building in the center of the compound, the Tok'ra colonel, in full combat armor, stared into the large holographic screen. The screen showed almost nothing but tiny blurs. The computer had tracked those blurs as much as it could and picked them out. On the side of the screen were the list of Clones whose lifesigns went off. The Tok'ra colonel raised his armored hands to his chin. A large figure appeared behind him and spoke.

"Colonel, there are other groups. They seemed to have split into several groups, but they are all heading here."

The Tok'ra replied as he let down his right hand and stroked the helmet he left on the side table.

"No doubt trying to assassinate me. How is it that the Alesian DNA scans do not pick them up?"

"No idea, Colonel. Perhaps they are not Alesian?"

The Tok'ra bared his teeth in displeasure.

"Impossible! The Alesians are arrogant murderers, they would not accept other people to do their work... even as despicable as assassination. They would claim the glory of killing our commanders and use that to boost their failing morale."

"But sir, the 2 defeats we suffered at the hands of the Alesians have boosted the morale of their soldiers. Do they really need a morale boost now that our forces are retreating into the Mid and Outer Regions under the Alesian counterattack?"

The Tok'ra Colonel growled.

"We have suffered minor defeats, but they have lost billions of people, not to mention millions of their warriors. They would be resorting to assassinations or anything to hold on to their last hope for victory. Once Lord ChiYou resume his attacks, the Alesians will fall."

The Guardian Elite nodded.

"I suppose so, sir. I just heard rumors of major defeats suffered at the hands of the Alesians."

The Tok'ra raised his eyebrows.

"Do you doubt Lord ChiYou's vision?"

The Guardian shook his head.

"No sir. Not for a second."

"Good. Prepare the Elites and your brothers to ambush these... assassins once they are inside the building. I have arranged five hundred Clones to surround the building once the enemy has fallen into my trap."

The Guardian Elite nodded.

"My brothers and one hundred Elites as well as three hundred Clones are ready inside the building."

"Good."

* * *

The Drow finally found themselves near the massive HQ building. There were a lot of Clones guarding it. At least ten patrols moved about and a whole squad was entrenched around the entrance with heavy weapons. Not only that, the Clones had four Blue Wolves prancing around, with their sensors detecting things around them.

The Drow paused as they sent out lone scouts to find another way around. They knew their small force couldn't fight so many clones all at once. Especially not without heavy weapons. But that proved to not be a problem as one of the Drow scouts reported back with a mental link. She found a ring transporter set to go inside the building. The DREC commander nodded as her soldiers moved out.

They finally got to the ring transporter as the Drow fireteams were ringed into the compound. The first teams secured the perimeter of the ring room as more Drow ringed in and started fanning out into the HQ building.

The HQ building's automated system was a separated system from the defence systems in the streets, and they began to detect anomolies in the air. As per their program, the turrets decided to shoot first. The most basic turrets, a sensor armed with a single Clone rifle with belt-feed ammo, began to pop up here and there, particularly on the ceilings. Although they could not get a lock, they fired at the blurs.

The Drow managed to survive the initial bursts from the turrets with either evasive moves or their personal shields. They fired snap busts from their plasma machine pistols at the sensor feeds, disabling them quickly.

The first three floors were easy, with only the basic turrets. However, as the Drows moved to the 4th floor, they met a lot more than just basic turrets. The security Clones, in small 5-men squads, fired at the blurs as the sensors of the turrets sent them the information through to the helmets. Minigun turrets raked the corridors with their powerful rate of fire, while the flame thrower turrets filled entire corridors with extreme temperature. The automated security drones, looking very much like Tauri's MALP with a humanoid robot on top, armed with four rifles with belt-feed detected the Drow's cloaking residues and fired deadly rounds at them.

The Drow teleported behind the turrets and patrols, ambushing them from behind and laying down a devastating fire of plasma bolts from their carbines and machine pistols. The clones fell quickly to the onslaught, but the drones managed to kill 3 Drow before they too were destroyed.

One of the Drow warriors ducked behind a large pillar, her back to another warrior. She called to her Decurion hiding behind another pillar.

"Decurion! We will be bogged down. I am certain that a silent alarm would have been activated. The 2nd Squad reported that they have put the building in lock-down mode but I don't think we can waste our time. We will hold here, you and the Commander have to go up!"

She pointed to the antimatter grenade on her belt and then to the ceiling.

The Decurion nodded.

"The stairs are going to be too well guarded. Blast our way through."

The Drow warrior nodded as she stuck the plasma grenade to the ceiling and ran for cover. The grenade went off, blowing up a large hole in the top of the ceiling. The Drow began to teleport-blink up there securing the room they just teleported in.

* * *

The Drow force finally reached the 7th floor, and they found a large door to the indoor gym, which led to the corridor to the Tok'ra commander's office. The intel from the Alesian Death Hands had served the Drow well as they carefully cracked the lock on the gym door.

The Drow kicked the door open and entered the gym with their weapons out and ready.

The gym was dark. So dark that even the Drow, who knew how to deal with darkness, felt wary. As they moved into the gym, sudden lights lit up everywhere, blinding the Drow forces for a moment. In that moment, the Gym was filled with four squads of 10-men Assault Elites, and on the far side of the gym were five people. The Tok'ra commander, in his full armor and helmet, were flanked by four even larger Elites. These Elites were different from the basic Assault Elites seen by the Alesians before.

They were at least 20cm taller, their armor looking thicker yet lighter, and their right wrist had extra machinery attached to it. The Tok'ra commander was different from others the Alesians had encountered before. He was taller, easily 2m in height and bigger with the armor. In his left hand was some sort of pistol, but it was large, and several slits showed blue glow, letting its presence be known as an energy weapon. On his right hand was a single-blade sword, broader than Japanese Katana, and glowing with bright red energy. The Tok'ra spoke, his voice booming through the speakers of his helmet.

"Welcome, Alesian assassins. I have been waiting."

The DREC decloaked herself quickly.

"By order of the Alesian High Council and the Drow Queen, you are to die by the blade, General. I hope you have prepared adequately for your death."

The Tok'ra chuckled.

"For one thing, I am a Colonel, and no... you will die here. I have several hundred men marching against your forces downstairs, including many Assault Elites. Here, you are outnumbered about 2 to 1, and others are just outside the gym. As a civilized person, I will give you one chance to surrender."

The Drow female laughed, something the Tok'ra did not expect.

"So we could be killed like you kill our allies? No thanks."

The Tok'ra nodded.

"Well, I was hoping you would say that."

At that very moment, the Elites began to fire. The Drow fired back, using their great speed to evade the bullets as they showered the Elites with plasma rounds. The Drow closed in with their blades as they killed off Assault Elites, thrusting their blades into their enemies. The Assault Elites fired their guns and smashed into the Drows with their mighty gauntlets, and the casualties began to show on the Drow's side.

But the Drow were much better at melee combat, despite their inferior numbers. They were mere blurs as they parried swings with their blades, firing into the Elites as they cut and made their way toward the Tok'ra officer, the DREC commander in the lead as she killed 2 Elites with precise strikes.

The Tok'ra commander raised his energy pistol and fired into a Drow's back. The Drow tried to evade, but an Assault Elite had grabbed the Drow by the shoulder. The back of the Drow warrior exploded as the disruptive energy of the Protoss-based energy pistol destabilized the molecules of the armor and the flesh. Then the Tok'ra turned his pistol at the DREC.

The DREC dodged the bolt that narrowly missed her face as she fired, blowing the pistol out of the Tok'ra Colonel's hand as she closed the distance between them.

This Tok'ra was not like the others. His host was a Combat Clone Host, built to be superior than any human. Any Goa'uld would have immediately taken up host of such physical strength, agility, reflex and stamina. Almost as fast as the Drow DREC, the Tok'ra colonel slashed at her with his sword, the red energy field narrowly missing her. She jumped back, surprised at the attack and the weapon. The weapon had power. Psionic pulse had swept through her systems even from the miss. It wasn't serious, but she knew that if she was killed by that sword, there was no return.

Three Drows also managed to find their way to the Tok'ra officer, but the four Elite Defenders blocked their way. Their right wrist held a device with a slit, and from it shot out a blade, about 1.2m in length, and glowing with same red energy as the Tok'ra's sword.

The DREC swung her blade with a black blur, the energy field impacting the Tok'ra sword as the Drow warriors fought with the Elite Defenders in a confused blur of frenzied sword work as the group was dispersed more. The Drow were overall winning, but they were taking a fair few casualties from the sheer number of enemies as they killed more Elites.

Elites from outside began to beam in, and joined the fray, and Clones appeared on the ledge above, and fired down at the Drow. As for the Drec and the Tok'ra officer, they were evenly matched. The Tok'ra's blade and his armor was enough to deal with the Drow's attack while the Drow evaded the attacks with superior agility.

But the DREC knew that she also had him beat with superior skill, which was everything when it came to evenly matched opponents. She gave a cry of victory as she dove the blade into the neck of the Tok'ra Colonel, her foot kicking away the wrist that held the Tok'ra's blade.

The Elite Defenders were no easy prey for the Drow either. They were far more agile than the Assault Elites, and their Psi Blade was quite enough to give the Drow a pause. A Drow managed to thrust her sword into the Defender's stomach, but the Defender grabbed the Drow's arm and slashed down with his Psi Blade, killing the Drow. Then, he threw the Drow's sword in his stomach at the Drec just as the Drec was thrusting her sword into the Tok'ra's neck.

The DREC's sword struck at the gap between the helmet and the armor, but something else happened. A bright blue shield flared and protected the Tok'ra, although the shield failed fast enough to leave a large slash across the half of the neck. Then the DREC was struck by the sword thrown by the Defender, her shoulder armor blasted apart by the Drow weapon.

The Tok'ra commander clutched at his neck, blood pouring out, but the Combat Clone Host was a strong one, enough to survive such mortal wound. He gasped for breath as the blood stopped. He and the Drow commander stared at each other for a moment as the DREC suppressed a cry of pain, lowering her guard to clutch at her shoulder wound.

Neither of the deadly combatants moved for a moment. The Tok'ra realized that if he attacked her, he would die. However, he had an ace hidden in his sleeve... literally. He raised his left palm as if using a Kara Kesh. The DREC instinctively ducked back, as a powerful pulse of disruptive energy, easily triple the disruptor pistol's firepower. The floor beneath where she was a moment ago exploded. The explosion was so powerful and loud that the fighting paused for a moment. A large hole in the floor opened up a path for escape, and the black smoke that rose as the molecules were torn apart, hid the Drow from the Tok'ra and his Defenders.

The DREC tossed an antimatter grenade and gave a mental command as her remaining Drow warriors jumped down the hole. she jumped down as the grenade exploded, destroying the room above. The smoke cleared after a few moments. The Tok'ra commander and his Defender peered out from the dark smoke. Their armors were tattered as they blocked the explosion. The Assault Elites were not so fortunate as they were swept up by the explosion. The Tok'ra commander, still grabbing his neck wound, growled as his right leg, now torn to the bone, were being knitted by the flickering healing beams within the armor. The healing beam failed as one of the Defenders helped the Tok'ra to stand.

The Tok'ra growled at the hole in the floor.

"I will have your head, Alesian!"

* * *

The Drow commander breathed heavily as she boarded the massive transport ship. Out of her 50 Drow, only 22 of them made it to the transport ship. But 28 lives were nothing as she watched out the viewport window with a smirk as they got into orbit. She saw a bright blue flash of light where she knew the complex was. Before she left the complex for good, she had left an antimatter nuke in the reactor room which caused both a powerful antimatter explosion and the reactor to go critical, obliterating the supply depot and most of the factories. This Tok'ra supply world was now out of commission. She knew other supply worlds were being taken down either by conventional forces or by special operation teams.

* * *

Worlds burned. It was not long after the Alesian and Drow raids on the Mid Region and Outer Region worlds that the Tok'ra forces began to use what the Tauri would call Weapons of Mass Destruction. The capital ships of the Tok'ra fleet fired a single bomb, which exploded in high orbit. The bomb rained down massive disruptive pulses on to the planet's surface. Approximately 10,000 square kilometers of land would be vaporized to the depth of about 100km, and the gas created from the explosion would envelop the planet. Meanwhile, the planet's gravity would attempt to compensate for its lost mass, and the lands around it would collapse into it while the disruptive pulse continue to rain for an hour.

By the end of that hour, the disruptive energy would have drilled into the outer core of the planet, and fill the atmosphere with a high saturation of toxic, radioactive gas and ash. The collapsing landmass alone would destroy and kill anyone on it, and the gas would prevent any beaming or lifting off of ships. It was truly a deadly weapon, and the Tok'ra began using it.

Already, six planets, one of them being an important Mid-Region planet, were attacked by this weapon. The cost for the Alesians was enormous. Over a dozen Alesian Legions were consumed in the devastation along with tens of millions of civilians, along with numerous militia units. The Mid-Region planet alone had cost the Alesians 5 Legions and nearly 200 million civilians.

The news of these new Tok'ra atrocities had reached the Alesians quickly, angering them greatly. Amann in particular was enraged as he stormed on the bridge of the AES _Galadriel_.

"Report! I want to know more about these new weapons the Tok'ra are using! General Ayen?"

General Ayen looked up from his terminal, which was streaming battle reports.

"Sir, we do not know yet, but the residual energy signature suggests some sort of variation... of Protoss weapon."

Amann paced in a tightly controlled fury, his boots hitting the ground.

"And how many lives were lost to the weapons?"

"So far, they have destroyed six worlds that were still under our control. They include Paralix III, Horim II, and Serev IV. We had prepared to defend those worlds and sent down many Legions. They are lost... Total of 14 Legions, nearly 4 million Militia and over 90 millions civilians in total..."

Suddenly, a Legionnaire came in with a datapad and gave it to Ayen. Ayen looked at it and gasped.

Amann was pissed.

"Well General? What is it?"

Ayen reported hesitantly.

"Garselion III was just hit... with their weapon."

"WHAT? And how many were lost?"

"We had ten Legions there... and no one made it out. We only received this intel because the fleet guarding the planet had driven off the Tok'ra fleet... but not before they had deployed the weapon."

Amann's eyes glowed with rage as he screamed out curses.

"200 million dead! I will kill every last one of the Tok'ra myself! I will wipe their entire race from existence and purge every last one of them with the fire from our planet killers!"

Amann glowered in rage as he advanced on the General.

"I want you to purge every last world the Tok'ra are on. I don't care. You have full permission to perform Omega Operations on every last world the Tok'ra are on. Burn them into the pits of hell!"

Ayen looked at Amann uncertainly before speaking.

"Calm yourself, Amann. I don't think we need to resort to that. All we have to do for now is to issue an alert to certain class ships in Tok'ra fleet. It appears that the weapon is large and can be fired only from their biggest ships."

Amann screamed out.

"BURN THEM! Burn them all! Kill every last one of them! Raze their planets to ashes!"

Ayen's frown got deeper. He pressed a button on his wrist. Four Legionnaires came in. Ayen spoke.

"Those worlds have Alesians still on them. I will not order my men to fire upon worlds with our people on them."

Amann glowered angrily at Ayen.

"You are going to disobey my orders?"

The Legionnaires looked uncertainly at Amann's crazed looks. Ayen stood up defiantly.

"I think you need medical support, Councilor. You are unfit to command at the moment. Men, escort the Councilor to the medical facility."

The Legionnaires nodded and walked forward. Amann growled in fury and waved his hand, sending the four Legionnaires flying. Amann was pissed as he pointed his wrist blaster at the fallen Legionnaires. He roared out in a white faced rage.

"All enemies of the High Council...WILL DIE!"

He started firing, killing 2 of the Legionnaires and wounding the rest.

Ayen leaped and grabbed Amann's hands.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Have you gone completely insane?"

Suddenly, Ayen felt it. A whisper of power before the surge of power, a moment just before Amann struck. Ayen defended himself just in time as Amann raised a hand and started to choke him. Ayen realized that had he not raised his defenses in time, he would have had his throat crushed shut instantly. As it was, he could only hold on as Amann choked him. Suddenly, six more Legionnaires rushed in when they heard the sounds of weapons firing. One of them fired bolts of plasma at Amann.

Amann released Ayen and concentrated on the Legionnaires, throwing bolts of lightning at the Alesian soldiers. Suddenly he felt pain as Ayen smashed a fist into the back of his head. Amann groaned slightly and collapsed on the ground, trying to get back up. Ayen put his foot down on the back of Amann's neck, and using his own considerable mental powers to send a powerful stunning shock directly into Amann's head.

Amann screamed in pain and collapsed on the ground unconscious. Ayen nodded and gave the order to take him away. Ayen sighed as the Legionnaires picked Amann up and took him away to the brig. He tapped several buttons on the desk, and the main viewscreen showed Janilius. The last High Councilor spoke.

"General Ayen. What a surprise! Why do you call me from Amann's private line?"

"I have removed Amann from his office. He is completely unfit to command. He is mentally insane. I am having him transported back to Alesia. Maybe someone can help him before I have him charged for assault and murder as well as war crimes."

Janilius frowned then he slammed his table as he shouted at Ayen.

"What the hell do you mean 'removed Amann from his office'? What? He is the leader of our Empire, and has been for over twenty-two thousand years!"

Ayen growled.

"I removed him from his office. I have such authority, Councilor. He is mentally and emotionally unfit for command, and regulations permit me to remove a superior officer from command if they are unfit for duty. I am going to conduct this war and charge Amann for his crimes."

"Only from your vessel! What in the name of Terra are you thinking? We are at war! Internal division is what our enemy wants!"

Ayen looked at Janilius.

"We cannot have an insane leader in command of the Empire at this time. There will be no internal division. Amann isn't very popular among the people and Legion's anyway. And you are the last of the High Council. Demos is missing, so is Taelira. Galadriel is dead. And Amann is insane. You can lead since you are the only one on the High Council left."

Janilius frowned, but then nodded.

"Very well. But I do this reluctantly. Bring Amann to Alesia. He will be confined for now until we decide what to do with him."

Ayen nodded.

"Understood."


	45. Dying Embers

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 45: Dying Embers

* * *

**

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Core Region / Alesia Sector / Alesia III**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

Amann was lying in his cell, awake, with a thousand thoughts running through his mind. The day before he had been removed from office and told that he would be appearing in court and sentenced, if he were to be found guilty. None of that mattered now, for ether way he was not High Councilor anymore. He sighed as he laid on the small cot. It had to be nighttime now, since the cell light was the dim light of the force field keeping him in illuminated his cell, glowing light blue in the darkness. He was rather gloomy about this whole outcome. But then he realized, he might just be, perhaps he was mad. After all, he was considering killing his own people and he had killed some of his own soldiers, they might have been revived, but still...he killed them. _It was all ChiYou's fault, he had pushed me this far, but I cannot change the fact that it was me, that allowed myself to be pushed this far…_Amann sighed, resigned to his fate. He deserved whatever he got and probably more. _Where did I go wrong? What was the start of all this madness? _ He thought to himself as he laid there.

It seemed to last an eternity as he lay there and the darkness around him only seemed to grow darker and darker with every passed minute. He woke up, thinking he must have fallen asleep at least for a few minutes. It was dark, strangely dark, not even the force field was providing illumination. Then he looked at the shield more closely, it was off. There was only a slight light coming from down the hallway, a dim light, while giving that same hallway an eerie look.

A sense of danger overflowed Amann as he got up. He braced himself for the plasma burns that were soon to come as he summoned what was left of his once mighty mental powers, knowing he could only barely use them with those mental jammers in place. He stood there in combat position, ready to fight the Legionnaires that must be about to come in spitting their plasma blasters of death at him. No one came in, much to his everlasting surprise, the shield was down, and no one was there…

Amann walked out of his cell and looked back at the now inactive cell, breathing heavily. He looked down the hall and was surprised to see no one, not even at the guard station. Amann waited a moment, then took off, running away as fast and as quietly as he could, peeking around corners and into corridors as his muffled footsteps echoed in the deep silence of the usually bustling prison facility. Yet in the back of his mind he was tingling with fear and the danger of being seen, but it had to be pushed aside if he were to survive. The whole complex was dimly lit, only a few lights were on, enough for him to see, but not enough to be comfortable with. It smelled of a trap. Yet he encountered no one as he moved throughout the prison.

Amann stopped for a second in the middle of a corridor and paused to catch his breath. He had been holding it in, afraid to breathe for fear he would be heard. He did not know where the guards were, for there should have been a hundred guards at least in this complex. He felt something wet trickle down his forehead and he reached up with his hand, wiping his brow clean of the cold sweat. He mused over who could have released him, but he had no time for that. He had to make his way to the jumper bay.

Amann moved quietly, trying to be stealthy as he moved through the deserted corridors and stairways. As he ran along, he wiped off the cold sweat running down his face. He almost wished someone would shoot at him, anything to break this deathly silence. The feeling of apprehension grew as he climbed more stairs, nearing the jumper platform.

Finally he reached the jumper platform, the cold wind flowing around his face in the utter darkness, not a living soul to be seen as he walked onto the deserted platform. The wind was flapping his white robe around as he stared across the pad. A jumper was on the platform with the hatch down. It almost seemed if the lone jumper was there waiting just for him to get out of this cell. Then he saw it, the city was darkened, with almost no lights to be seen in the otherwise so cheerfully lit city around the complex. The few lights that glowed white and blue were fighting the darkness in agony. He walked over to the beckoning jumper and stopped just outside the hatch. Something was not right about any of this. It hit him just as he was standing there. The platform lights were off, when they shouldn't be. This was strange, very strange. The deadly quietness of the complex, this platform and the city before him, it was just eerie.

Amann entered the jumper and hit the button to close the hatch, which it did as he moved to the controls of the jumper. With a hum, the jumper lights and control console turned on, responding immediately to his touch. Amann immediately noticed his armor was sitting in the passenger seat, waiting for him. Amann typed a few buttons and concentrated as the jumper took off, heading straight up into orbit, passing other shuttles and starships as he breached the atmosphere. Then, when he activated the jumper and was far enough away from the mental jammer he felt it. There was something wrong with him, but what? It almost seemed as if he were possessed, for now he could see the city in its beautiful light, as if the city was never darkened. But he was free.

Amann activated the hyperdrive as soon as he was clear of the gravity well, holding his breath as the jumper flew into the familiar blue of hyperspace. He typed the console and looked through the jumper computer. Someone had placed Alesian intelligence on where ChiYou was located and where he was thought to be going. Amann nodded slowly. Whoever arranged his escape wanted him to go find ChiYou and kill him. He pondered who could have done it. Janilius? Ayen? An unknown supporter or party? It did not matter.

Amann leaned back as he typed in the coordinates of ChiYou's last known location. He would hunt ChiYou down at all costs. He realized soberly he was outmanned, outgunned, and possibly out of his mind on a suicide mission. It was a kind of release to be near the end, for he had little left to live for anyway. ChiYou was apparently on a Mid-Region world, busy with trying to regroup all his forces into a compact defense line of a few dozen solar systems. The Drow had cut off his supply lines and ChiYou abandoned the entire Empire for a few dozen strategically placed systems. He was under siege now, but it would take a massive amount of forces to break through and defeat his armies wholesale. Amann sighed as he mentally prepared himself for this final battle, donning his armor as well. He did not seem to notice the dark shadow as it slowly left him and hovered behind him.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Ballox III**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

**Day 167 - 13:23:59**

Amann watched the planet below as he streaked into the atmosphere. He knew this Mid-Region world had been under the control of the Tok'ra for some months. It was the sector capital and it benefited from that by being one of the most prosperous of the Mid-Region worlds. However it was a ruined world after many months of fierce civilian resistance instigated by Alesian Militia and Legion officers. But Amann knew that it would be suicide to enlist their help. After all, he was a fugitive in his own Empire. They would shoot him just as quickly as the clones would. _So I have to fight both sides or let them take each other out_, he mused as he flew down toward one of the cities. According to his intelligence, ChiYou was in a clone installation on the other side of the city he was to land near.

Amann knew he had to land on the other side of the city, for the defenses around the installation would detect him. He was fortunate to have slipped through the clone defenses in orbit, for they were able to detect most cloaks. But they were not able to detect such small ships with cloak signatures that could be one of a dozen different things. The complex was a different matter. The planet was lush, with many cities located throughout the planet's 5 continents. Getting through the city would be difficult at best, with guerilla raids and pitched firefirghts occurring at random. Amann prepared himself mentally as he landed the cloaked jumper on the outskirts of the city and walked out of the jumper. He watched the city for a few moments, his face lit up with pain and perhaps relief at it being near the end. A flash of determination shone on his face as he sighed and entered the maze of buildings that was the capital city of Ballox III.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Core Region / Alesia Sector / Alesia III**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

Janilius was standing in the Council chamber. All his plans had come to fruition. Amann was deposed and sent along his merry way. It would be the end for him soon. Janus would see to that. He looked up as General Ayen stormed in. It was clear the Supreme Commander of the Legions was not happy. He smiled his charming smile at the general as he straightened his robe and greeted Ayen pleasantly.

"Greetings, General Ayen. To what I owe this pleasure?"

General Ayen was red faced with rage as he snarled.

"Councilor, Amann has escaped! The guards report he is simply not in his cell! They had taken the mental jammers offline for only a few minutes due to some minor error they found, and Amann was no longer there. It was as if he suddenly vanished! I have ordered all forces in the Empire to hunt him down, but I do not know if he will be found."

Janilius raised a hand in a soothing gesture.

"It does not matter really General Ayen. Amann will either be on the run or caught eventually. He no longer troubles us. What is of more pressing concern is my attempt at trying to pursue peace with the Tok'ra Republic. With Amann out of the way, we might be able to pursue a peace treaty. ChiYou might make peace with Amann gone."

Ayen growled.

"I doubt it. ChiYou hates all Alesians. He might only if Amann were given to him, but we can't find him."

Janilius frowned.

"Have you tried interrogating his children? They are most likely to know where she is. Cassandra Adar might be the Lower Councilor of Alesia, but she is most likely guilty of aiding a fugative from the Empire."

Ayen shook his head.

"No, Pretas had deserted his Legion 2 weeks ago. Cassandra had also mysteriously disappeared about 10 days ago. It appears they are also in hiding. I found an official order of Amann, signed a few months ago, excluding them from punishment for following his orders. The orders were to flee at a given signal from him. It appears he gave that signal. I guess he knew he was going to be removed soon."

Janilius frowned.

"The order is valid, and only I can countermand it now. I would like you to try to find his children if possible, for they might even be with him. Now, leave me. I have a conference call with ChiYou to make."

Ayen saluted as he left the Council chamber. Janilius turned on the viewer and smiled at the face of ChiYou, who was looking at Janilius with rage and hatred. It was to Janilius's credit that he kept his composure.

"Greetings, Lord ChiYou of the Tok'ra Republic. I have contacted you in the hopes of signing a peace treaty to end this insane war. Your enemy Amann is gone, overthrown and on the run as a fugitive from Alesian justice. You already killed 65 billion Alesians in your quest to avenge those 25 billion Kauri slaughtered by the order of Amann. Is there not enough death? Is it not time to end this war and have peace restored between our peoples?"

He flashed his smile. Perhaps that fool will accept. The easier to control him eventually to do his bidding. He was surprised by ChiYou's snarl of rage.

"I would rather die a thousand deaths in agony than ever make peace with the Alesian scum! I will not rest until Amann is dead, and his people wiped off the face of the universe! That includes you and every other Alesian!"

Janilius's face hardened.

"I see. That is...unfortunate. I offered peace and you threw it back in my face. You cannot win against the might of Alesia, Tok'ra. You will eventually lose and when you do, it will be bad for the Tok'ra. Everywhere in the galaxy, the Tok'ra will be hunted down. There will be no safe haven for you. I offer a genuine peace and you are bent on vengeance. I am truly saddened to see you so narrow-minded."

Janilius turned off the viewer. ChiYou would pay dearly for rejecting his peace offer. Growling in anger, he turned on a viewer and spoke to a dark figure in a Tok'ra officer uniform, the black uniform barely outlining the red trim in the reddish hue of the quarters seen behind Sunaj.

"Sunaj, Chiyou turned down the offer. I trust you have the locations of the Kauri planets?"

Sunaj nodded.

"Yes I do."

Janilius growled.

"Leak them to Ba'al. Since he is secretly serving Anubis, they will both wish to destroy ChiYou's people. Let those fools do our work for us. ChiYou will pay for rejecting my offer. I cannot gain control of him without first meeting him. But perhaps he will return home where you can..."

Sunaj grinned.

"It will be done."

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Ballox III**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

**Day 167 - 15:41:01**

Amann had walked along for a few hours, stealthily sneaking past patrols of clones as he crept into the city. He had run across a patrol earlier, but he took care of them with relative ease as he blew apart the small unit. They didn't even get a vox call out before he had finished with them. Amann continued on, walking past the war torn and once proud capital city of this world. Gunfire could be heard in the distance as the clones tried to suppress guerrilla resistance. Amann walked along, desperate for the only thing he had a purpose for. He vowed it will be the last thing he will ever do. He will kill him.

Amann's life began to race through his mind as he scanned mentally with his mind, trying to sense any clone units nearby. He did not notice the distant clone tank drawing a bead on him from a few hundred feet away. The tank fired at Amann, the shell blowing a crater 10 feet from Amann. The force of the explosion showered Amann with debris and flung him into the air. With a jarring impact, he smashed into the wall and went through it. He laid on his back, dazed and disoriented from the force of the impact.

Amann blinked up at the ceiling, his entire life flashing before him. It seemed like an eternity as he laid there, yet it could have only been a few minutes. He heard the sound of drums in the distance. He stirred at the sound, imagining it to sound like the musical theme that sung of dying heroism. It was a fairly popular song in the Legion, which sung of the warrior's call to duty and his aim of victory in the face of terrible odds against the dark night. It was an uplifting theme, that gave hope in even the bleakest of battles. When it seemed certain defeat was inevitable and that your death was assured, it gave the most demoralized soldier a boost in spirits. It had helped Amann and countless others in the worst of times. The drums and the pipes were an inspiring theme for all Alesians.

Amann blinked his way out of the daze, forcing himself to roll over and get on all fours. As he was getting up, he heard a click. He spun quickly and fired at the clone soldier who was desperately trying to clear his jammed weapon. The plasma bolts blew apart the clone soldier in a mess of blood and armor fragments. Amann stepped out of the hole he made in the wall and noticed clone units closing in on him. Suddenly, waves of plasma fire flew from the nearby buildings, killing many of the clones as they spun and peppered the civilian resistance fighters in the windows. Screams of pain and fury echoed through the air as the two hated enemies fought each other in a bloodlust of fury and hatred, with victory in their hearts. Amann ran away from the firefight, the battle was meaningless to him. He had to keep focus on his objective. Chiyou. Chiyou was all that mattered. Kill the head and the body must die. Kill Chiyou and this war would end to a swift conclusion.

Amann sped away into the core of the smoldering city, the firefights were getting more pitched as he ran along the rubbled streets, dotted with the remains of clone tanks and Predator walkers. The roar of gunfire and shells were louder now, screeching out in a crescendo of death and pain with the peculiar sound of plasma bolts being fired. The fight for this world had been intense, consuming the resources of 5 Legions and several clone divisions. A few of the tanks were on fire, obviously ambushed and destroyed recently. The sun was beginning to set in the background, bathing the world in a fiery red. It would be a red dusk. Amann saw the compound was laid out just outside the city. Determination gripped his heart as he made his way toward it, the burning embers of his soul flaring up into one final fire.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

Chiyou was busy issuing orders in his headquarter complex. He was sitting at the terminal watching the various displays showing the display of forces and where they were in the galaxy. He watched as all of the red dots were concentrated in a small star cluster while a mass of blue showing the Alesian and Drow fleet units were closing in on his defensive lines. A Guardian Elite walked in behind him and saluted.

"My Lord, we have a perimeter alert. We ae searching for the intruder now, but I think you will be interested in what we found from the security footage."

ChiYou looked up from his terminal.

"Play it."

The Guardian walked over and placed a data crystal in the holographic projector. ChiYou watched as a lone Alesian Legionnaire cut his way through the defense barricades and disabled the outer gun turrets with a wave of his hand. He looked more closely and started growling in rage.

"I knew it. Amann himself. Good. I will have his head."

ChiYou got up from his seat and ripped his disruptor sword off the wall. He buckled it to his back and turned to walk out. The Guardian cleared his throat.

"Um sir? I must advise you that it would be best if the clones dealt with Amann. Would it not be best for you to evacuate through the Stargate and let our soldiers finish Amann off. It would be better for you to not risk your life in killing him when our soldiers can do it."

ChiYou glared at the Guardian before nodding slowly.

"Very well. Dial the stargate to the evacuation coordinates. Have a ship meet us on the planet. We will be mobile in our headquarters from now on."

The Guardian nodded and saluted as ChiYou walked out. His dozen Guardian Elites followed him quickly, intent on protecting the Tok'ra warlord. ChiYou listened in on updates in his comm link as the clone garrison began to fight Amann. He knew Amann would be lucky to survive. Amann was one man to an entire army of clones. Finally, he reached the Stargate as the Guardian dialed the planet. He heard the screams of clones and weapons fire getting nearer as Amann butchered and killed his way toward ChiYou's position, but he was not worried. Amann would either die by the clone army or even himself if Amann got to him. The Stargate chevrons lit up as the familiar _kawoosh_ formed with the event horizon.

Chiyou started to climb the stone steps with his guardians, who had to go through the gate two at a time, such was their bulk. The last two guardians were about to walk through when they were struck with bursts of plasma and lightning bolts. They fell to the ground in a smoldering heap as Amann stood in the doorway of a nearby building, glowering in hatred as he killed a clone with a snap of his fingers. Amann watched as the gate closed, but not before he memorized the address. Shaking in rage and bitter hatred, he began to dial the stargate as well. His moment of vengeance was finally at hand. Finally the Stargate opened as Amann gave a war cry and ran up the stone steps, plunging through the event horizon in a blaze of vengeance. The Eagle was after the Roc.


	46. Vengeance

**Golden Dawn**

**Chapter 46: Vengeance**

**Milky Way Galaxy: Core Region**

**Unaffiliated Planet: Core Region / Hatteras Sector / Cal'tec**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

ChiYou exited the stargate quickly, his 10 remaining guards fanning out to secure the immediate gate area. The first thing he noticed was that it was night out and the landscape was a grassy plane dotted with large boulders. Stars shone brightly, along with several nebulae and the milky haze of the Milky Way. It wasn't until a few seconds later that he noticed the missing rearguard. Chiyou immediately frowned. They must have been engaged or otherwise delayed. He did not have much time to think as the stargate began to dial up.

"Guardians! Kree! Defensive positions!"

The Guardians lined up, taking position in covered locations between rocks and the DHD. ChiYou drew his disruptor sword. It was similarly shaped to the Japanese Katana on earth, but longer and thicker than those swords. Indeed, ChiYou's blade was nearly 3 feet long, which gave it a surprisingly balance between speed and power. ChiYou waited as the seventh chevron locked into place, activating the stargate as the unstable vortex _kawooshed_ out. The Guardians waited, their guns pointed at the Stargate. Amann rushed out of the vortex into the hail of gunfire.

He ducked and rolled off to the side as the storm of gunfire peppered the stone steps and the Stargate. These were not ordinary clones, but were ChiYou's personal guardians, each one a powerful mentalic in his own right. Ducking and weaving between the rocks, he fired streams of plasma bolts at the Guardians, taking 2 of them down as his personal shield failed from the constant barrage. He growled in anger as he reached out with his mind and picked up a rock.

"Pitiful clones! You dare hinder me! THEN DIE!"

The rock spun around more rapidly, suddenly spinning out and crushing a Guardian with it as the remaining clones closed in on him and started peppering his armor with their 50 caliber rounds. Amann spun wildly as he activated his plasma blades and darted at the nearest guardian. The Guardian activated his Psi blade and parried with the Alesian leader, the massive armored form towering over Amann by a good meter. Amann narrowly ducked under a swing from the glowing red blade. There would be no revival if he was killed with it. Rage built up in Amann as he sliced off the leg of the Guardian. The bodyguard fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Amann killed him with a thrust into the heart, a look of madness and bloodlust etched on his face. There was no way he would fail. He would not let it.

Suddenly pain flared from his shoulder as a 50 caliber bullet partially penetrated his armor and exploded, the plasma explosive shearing into his skin. Amann fired back at the clone that attacked him, downing the Guardian with a burst to the head from the powerful Alesian blaster. The remaining Guardians were closing in, firing at him as the bullets exploded around Amann, dousing him with rock splinters and fragments as the bullets hit nearby rocks. The Alesian Councilor reached out an arm and clenched his armored fist. The rock nearest the Guardians exploded with the force of a bomb, killing 2 of the remaining survivors and wounding a 3rd. The last 2 Guardians kept firing at Amann, their rounds hitting the Alesian armor.

Amann knew he was not going to last long from this barrage as he threw an antimatter grenade and threw himself to the ground. The grenade exploded with a blue flash, the powerful concussion force ripping apart anything in the area. Even Amann felt the sheer power of the explosive. Amann shakily got up, dazed from the tremendous force. The last 2 Guardians were downed, blown into bloody pulp from the grenade. Amann stood there a moment, disengaged from his immediate surroundings. He snapped himself back to reality as a bullet struck his chest. Looking up, he saw the wounded guardian laying on the ground, firing a pistol at him. Amann let loose a bloodcurdling scream of fury.

"Thus is the fate of enemies of the Empire!"

The Guardian screamed as Amann blew him apart contemptuously with a barrage of plasma rounds. He heard a snarl of rage and looked up to find Chiyou standing with his disruptor sword about 20 feet away.

"The Alesian Empire will burn for it's crimes!"

Amann winced in pain from the bleeding wound in his shoulder. Ignoring the searing pain, he activated his plasma blades and looked at the man who killed so many of his people, including his wife and sister. He walked slowly toward the figure clad in blood red scale armor, speaking to ChiYou with a glare of anger and hatred. His movements were barely controlled as he spoke spitefully.

"And thus this war ends here. Either with your death or mine. You killed over 65 billion Alesians, which include my wife and sister."

ChiYou snarled back, his anger filled face twisting in bitter hatred.

"Your insanity has warped your mind. I never killed your wife or sister. You attacked my people and killed 25 billion of my children! That is why this war started!"

Amann paused a moment. He couldn't be telling the truth. It was impossible. A part of him wanted to believe him, but the stronger, darker part told him to kill him now. The evidence was against ChiYou. Amann's brown eyes blazed in hatred and anger at the lie.

"Liar! You are dishonorable even before your death. I did kill your people for your crimes against me and my people. Now you will share their fate!"

Amann ran at ChiYou with a roar of anger, closing the distance quickly as he swung his wrist mounted blades, the blue plasma arcing in a blur against the disruptor sword. ChiYou's weapon flared red as he defended from the vicious attacks of Amann. Even in his anger, Chiyou's cold mind was planning the fight. He sensed Amann was stronger than him, and it would be useless to expend energy needlessly. Better to defend and wait until Amann tired out. The two leaders fought with vengeance in their hearts, their blades swung with superhuman strength and speed as they dueled ferociously. Amann slammed down on Chiyou's blade in black anger, his grief and hatred pouring out as he drove the Tok'ra back into the nearby forest, the glow of their blades shining in the night. Sparks flew out from the brutal duel, falling to the forest floor as they parried and thrusted furiously. Amann screamed as he lunged toward his enemy, slashing viciously at ChiYou.

"Chiyou!"

ChiYou ducked to the side and rolled away from Amann, sending a thick branch flying at the Alesian.

"Fool! I did nothing to you!"

Amann slashed at the branch, the plasma blade catching the two pieces of the branch on fire as his mind surged, blowing a tree trunk apart out at ChiYou. The fiery branch landed on the dry forest floor as Amann rushed forward again at the retreating ChiYou, pressing his advantage as the Tok'ra stumbled from the fight. His blade met ChiYou's as the two men fought with unparalleled savagery. Amann kept on the attack, his moves becoming more uncontrolled as he slashed at the Tok'ra. The Alesian was getting frustrated as he shouted in fury.

"Die dammit! Why won't you die!"

It was getting harder to see through the smoke as the forest floor burned, the fire spreading quickly through the forest. Neither man seemed to care. All they wanted was to kill the other. Amann swiped at ChiYou's head, which was blocked quickly. He snarled in hatred and thrusted his blade toward ChiYou's stomach, which was dodged. Chiyou kicked up and caught Amann in the side, which sent Amann staggering. The Tok'ra saw his opening and dove in, his blade going straight for Amann's heart, crying out triumphantly.

"Die Alesian scum!"

He was surprised when Amann grabbed his wrist and twisted it away.

"Never! Alesia will be your end! For all the Alesians killed! For my wife and my sister! DIE!"

ChiYou saw the other plasma blade a split second before it was thrusted at him. He darted to the right and grabbed Amann's wrist. The two men struggled as the fire raged around them, the trees began to catch fire as they were surrounded by walls of fire and smoke. ChiYou steadied himself by placing his feet to stabilize himself and head-butted Amann, which sent the Alesian male sprawling to the ground. ChiYou swung his sword over his head and slashed down furiously.

"Victory is mine!"

Amann snorted with derision as he rolled away from the powerful strike and kicked upward, catching ChiYou in the head. The Tok'ra warlord's head snapped up with a crack, his nose broken with a gush of blood. Amann scrambled to get up as Chiyou looked at him through the red haze of pain. It was getting hard to see through the smoke and even more difficult to breathe. He lost sight of Amann for a moment as he looked around. The Tok'ra realized that it was getting suicidal to fight here. He ducked behind a tree as he heard coughing coming from his left. Chiyou gripped his blade tightly, but he saw nothing. He frowned. _Where was Amann?_ Suddenly, he knew he was in danger. He had to move, now! He felt it a moment before it struck, a surge of mental power.

ChiYou spun around as the tree trunk exploded in his face, the concussive explosive wounding him with embedded splinters of wood. His sword fell out of his hand as ChiYou gave a bloodcurling cry of pain, falling to the ground. Everything was a red haze as he hit the ground face first. ChiYou blinked as he raised his head. His sword was only a few feet away. Groaning with pain, he began to crawl over, reaching out for the handle. A metal boot slammed on the handle and kicked it away. ChiYou looked up to see the enraged form of Amann a moment before a metal boot was kicked into his face, knocking him on his back. Everything went out of focus, darkening as ChiYou fell back defeated. It felt like an eternity passed, but it had to be only a few seconds. His vision blinked back into focus. A form was standing over him, holding a wrist blade pointed at his face. He heard Amann speak as he looked down victoriously over the fallen Tok'ra.

"Lucia...Galadriel...you are about to be avenged. For all those that have fallen, for the family I have lost..."

ChiYou thought he could see a dark mist leaving Amann, which was strange. The blade left his face. Amann spoke quietly.

"For Alesia."

The wrist blaster was pointed at ChiYou's face. ChiYou stared into the face of his enemy with defiance, not intending to give Amann the satisfaction of fear. ChiYou saw the dark mist forming behind the Alesian, who did not appear to notice. He felt pure evil emulating from it as a dark bolt of lightning lashed out, striking Amann in the back. Amann cried out in pain as he fell to the ground next to ChiYou.

"What the..."

He gasped as he saw the dark entity, recognizing it instantly as the entity he fought before. Amann got up staggeringly and decided to summon his powers. It was the only way to defeat this entity. He gathered his ascended powers, glowing blue as he attempted to ascend. The dark entity was also gathering power as well, pulsing with malice. Amann lashed out with his power with a cry of fury, but he felt his power slipping away. He gasped out in pain and grief.

"No..."

Amann started to disappear as the power impacted the dark entity, which appeared to absorb the much weakened blast. He cried out in despair.

"No! Don't do this!"

Amann was whisked away in a flash of blue ascended light as the dark entity chuckled. ChiYou blinked as he saw the form of Janus before falling unconscious in the burning forest. Janus smirked. The Tok'ra would die in the blazing inferno painfully. Janus walked through the burning forest, leaving the form of ChiYou behind in the walls of smoke. It was time to return home. With a whirl, the Stargate activated as Janus exited the forest, approaching the ring at a leisurely pace. He grinned as a flicker of power destroyed the DHD. Just in case ChiYou did survive, he would be trapped here. He wanted his enemies to suffer in death. Janus stepped through the event horizon of the Stargate. Tomorrow would see further development of his plans. The Alesian Empire was his to control now.

**THE END**

_**Turn in to Part 2 of the 3 part series: Bleak Twilight!**_


	47. The Cycle of Destruction and Rebirth

**Bleak Twilight**

**Chapter 47: The Cycle of Destruction and Rebirth**

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_**"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, you must first dig two graves."**_

**-Confucius-**

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**Milky Way Galaxy: Core Region**

**Unaffiliated Planet: Core Region / Hatteras Sector / Cal'tec**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

The planet was turning in peace, uninhabited save for one individual. A peaceful night was descending upon the planet as it orbited around the star slowly. A vortex of swirling blue energy began to appear, the energies ripping at the surrounding space. A shape began to appear as the vortex subsided, withdrawing into a small point and disappearing as the shape materialized into an Earth sized black moon, the shape terrifying enough to send people into panic. The Drow worldship had come. Fire raged on the surface, the remains of crashed starships scattered across the damaged worldship. Numerous holes gaped in the armored surface, pockmarked and blasted apart by battle damage and smashed ships.

Ayen stared out at the planet from his display on the control center of the powerful ship as it hummed in the dimly lit consoles and in the walls. He turned to speak to the Drow female next to him, her armored form attired with gold shoulder plates.

"How are the repairs proceeding, Governor?"

The female turned toward the Alesian General and spoke.

"Underway, but the ship suffered heavy hull damage, but the Tok'ra were unable to do much more than superficial damages. Critical systems remain online. Weapon batteries report ready. Graviton cannon is also operational."

Ayen nodded and turned to the planet.

"Chiyou is down there. I wanted to send a ship to capture him, but Councilor Janilius wants him and the planet he is on destroyed. It is fortunate that there are no civilians there, but...it would be better if we captured him. We could use that as a morale blow to the Tok'ra if we had him recorded being captured before we executed him for war crimes..."

Ayen sighed.

"I do not know what to do. This war has gone utterly mad and insane. First, Councilor Amann goes insane and then missing. Then Janilius somehow finds out that ChiYou is here and orders us to destroy the planet. Not kill ChiYou, but to destroy this specific planet. I do not understand him either."

The Drow Governor nodded.

"We have started to take alot of losses too. Our ships are faster than your own, but are not as armed or durable as Alesian ships. Still, these orders...are mysterious."

Ayen growled.

"Tens of millions die every day in this war, in the fires of this insanity that reigns right now in the Empire. Ending, falling, and burning. All burning. We are all fighting for our lives, our very survival. 65 billion Alesians and 25 billion Kauri killed to satisfy bloodlust and revenge. Entire planets laid waste, or devastated by genocidal war."

Ayen tapped the console.

"I am beginning to question our orders and the wisdom of the Council. I do not know what to do."

The female Drow spoke in her lusty voice.

"Perhaps we have to...depose the Council...what is left of it? For the greater good..."

Ayen whipped around and spoke angrily.

"That is treason! Treason to the Empire, Ventress!"

Ventress turned coolly toward Ayen.

"What is the greater treason? Allowing the last of the High Council to rule and give out unwise orders that will only ensure the war continues and that makes sure unnecessary destruction continues in an endless cycle of death? The Alesian Accords are no longer adhered to. Janilius does not appoint new members as he should have. If the Accords are not followed, then the Empire is broken. The ideals and the founding principles are what made the Empire. When that is gone, what we once served is also gone."

Ayen looked like he was about to retort, but he sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"This war has tired me. I feel...worn, watching as the Empire crumbles around me and slips into decay. Torn apart by anger and revenge. I will...give your idea thought. Keep it to yourself though."

Ventress nodded.

"I understand. Are we going to follow the orders to destroy this world?"

Ayen nodded.

"Yes...but Janilius will answer for this."

Ventress nodded as she relayed the orders and hit the console keys. Ayen watched as gravitons started building up the affected area, shaking the planet with devastating earthquakes. The crust began to crack from the strain as lava flows were released across the planet. The planet shook and ruptured from the gravity distortions, shaking as it began to break up into pieces. Finally, the planet structure collapsed as it was shaken into a large asteroid field, the magma released from the core and mantle was sent into the coldness of space to turn into debris fields of rocks. The Drow worldship rotated slowly as it entered the swirling vortex of energy to return home to Alesia.

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**Ascended Plane of Existence**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

Amann blinked at all of the white light surrounding him. He was bathed in the light, and it was blinding him. Amann groaned as he struggled to make sense of his surroundings. He was surprised to find that his wound in the shoulder was healed and his armor miraculously repaired. He heard voices in the background as items and things began to form in front of him. He revolved in the same spot, watching as a room began to materialize into existence. It seemed to resemble a courtroom, although it was of a strange design to him. A voice spoke with authority.

"Amann Adar, you stand in the Ascended Court of Justice. You are here to stand trial and receive sentence."

Amann spun on the spot, instantly recognizing the voice as he stared up at the old man sitting at the top of the judge's bench. He snarled with anger.

"Moros! So you lead the Ascended Collective? I am surprised you do lead, considering your inept leadership to begin with. Still whining and crying about losing the Wraith war?"

Moros chuckled at that, his white goatee spreading to reveal a smile.

"No, we are above such matters. You case has been reviewed since you broke the non-interference law when you fully ascended and decided to use your powers. You know the law. You are undeniably guilty of breaking the law. Sentence however is varied. Most cases usually end up with the offender being forcibly descended and their memory erased. You however, are not normal."

Amann growled.

"Get to the point, Moros! Your incessant babbling is an offense to my ears!"

Moros raised an eyebrow.

"Tsk tsk. You ought to show more respect for both your elders and your superiors."

Amann stared at Moros with something akin to disbelief.

"Are you serious? You exiled me and my followers out of the Lantean Empire. You cast us out. That automatically excludes me from being under you. As for respect, I don't have any for you and it is not going to help my case even if I did pull a Lantean and suck up. I will get the same punishment regardless of what I say or do here. So there, you are an idiot and I do not like you or respect you."

Moros stared at Amann coldly.

"Very well. Your sentence...you will experience all of the deaths you caused in your lifetime. Either through your orders or actions, both direct and indirect. You will know the pain you have caused."

Amann's eyes widened at that just as he was transported away. Amann looked around in the now dimly lit room. It appeared to be some sort of medieval dungeon, with straw on the floor and rusty iron bars sealing him in the stone alcove. Cries of pain and anger echoed from the crowded cells that lined the dungeon as numerous people rattled the bars and made noise. Amann growled as he smashed his armored fist on the wall in anger.

"Bastard."

Suddenly Amann clutched his head and began to scream as the images and sensations began to stream into his head. His mindless screams echoed loudly through the dungeon as he collapsed onto the ground twitching and jerking. Rage, despair, fear, sadness, hopelessness, and death roared through his mind, trapped in the vortex of all of the death and pain he had caused in his lifetime. Billions upon billions of lives he had extinguished either personally or by his order roared into his consciousness. Amann screamed insanely at the experiences. He wanted to die, anything to make it all end. He gasped out weakly.

"No! I get the point! I get it! Stop! I had enough! Please! I had enough! NO! I beg for mercy! Stop! I will do anything! Just make it stop! AAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Amann exhaled forcibly as he fell unconscious.

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**Location Unknown**

Amann awoke and looked around quickly. It was dark, nothing could be seen. He couldn't even see what he was laying on. He scrambled up and waved his arms in front of him. He activated his plasma blades, which gave illumination to the darkness. It appeared to be misty, foggy. He couldn't even see the floor despite the bright plasma flaring. A voice spoke. A voice familiar to him. It spoke gently, with care.

"Still afraid of the dark, my son?"

Amann turned toward the voice to see two figures approaching. He gasped in shock.

"It cannot be...father? Mother?"

The figures entered into the illumination of the plasma flaring. Gera Adar smiled at his son. The dark haired man looked like a older version of Amann. The dark haired woman also smiled as she clasped the hand of the man next to her.

"Yes. It has been a long time since we last saw you. You were only 8 years old at the time."

Amann nodded numbly.

"I know that...your ship suffered a reactor accident. It was destroyed. I was alone...with only my sister as a friend took us in. He took care of us. We grew up. I did my best to make sure you were proud. I was not even sure if you were ascended or not, or just merely dead. I tried to live my life well, I tried to do things that would make you proud...I tried to do the right things...I tried...I tried...and I failed..."

Amann looked down at his feet, his fists clenching at his side as he closed his eyes and tried to suppress his emotions. The two figures looked at each other before Liana spoke.

"We do not have alot of time. We must show you things, things that you must know."

Gera spoke.

"It is easier to show you than tell you. Relax..."

Gera and Liana raised their hands and they started to glow as their aura washed over Amann. Amann gasped as the events unfolded in front of him. He saw it finally, he saw the truth of everything that had happened and was continuing to happen as he saw it. He blinked rapidly as his parent's aura's washed back into their forms. Amann looked down.

"I was deceived...I was tricked...I...I...I was played like an instrument. Manipulated into everything. I did those things...evil things...all for nothing."

Amann's face twisted as he paced back and forth aimlessly.

"I thought I was doing the right thing...everything went so wrong. No matter what I tried to do, I seemed to just make it worse. Janus...he did all this...he killed my wife and forced me into believing ChiYou did it, forced me into making the wrong decisions. However, it does not excuse what I have done. I did those things. I was not forced into it, but I made the decisions with the information given. I should have known better. I should have done something else. Instead I acted out of revenge and caused a terrible war designed to weaken everyone so the cursed Ori come in and kill everyone in their weakened state. Or worse, turn us into an Ori puppet state that over time converts everyone to their religion. I did those things, all of that, and I am to blame for it. I cost alot of good people, innocent people, their lives."

Gera sighed.

"Yes you did. I cannot soften the blow for you, son. You made the mistakes and you paid the price. The question is, what are you going to do about it? What are you going to do to fix it, to make it right, now that you know the truth finally?"

Amann looked at both of his parents with despair.

"What can I do? I am either stuck here or I go back with my memory erased."

Liana spoke.

"For hypothetical sake, what if your memory was intact and you took back the knowledge you learned here? What would you do if you know what you know now and you were able to go back to fix it?"

Amann paused as he looked at his parents.

"I would kill Janus, foil his plans, make sure that the true enemy is destroyed. It is sometimes necessary, it can be the difference of the prosperity of your people and utter destruction. I went for the wrong person, came to the wrong conclusions, and made it easier for my true enemy to weaken us all. I have to make peace with ChiYou somehow, stop the insane war, and overthrow Janilius. And make sure he can never threaten anyone again. The entire galaxy is at stake, even the entire universe could be threatened by the Ori. Fighting the religious oppression of the Ori, is that not a cause worth fighting for? Is it not worth dying for?"

Gera smiled then.

"You are getting closer, but this cannot be about vengeance. This has to be something in the common interest. You cannot always think of yourself when you are a leader. You have to think of the greater good. If you fight out of revenge, you will lose yourself along the way."

Amann gave a nervous laugh.

"I lost myself when he killed those who I loved most."

Liana walked forward and gave her son a hug.

"There is still you. You are hurt by pain and anger and hatred, but you are still you. You are still the man that tried to lead your people into the greater good. What you once believed in. You just got lost for a moment along the path. If you are to be the great man that is to return your people and others to greatness, if you are to stop evil from triumphing, you must find the path again."

Gera spoke.

"We believe in you, son. We know you are the right man to restore the ideals that you so valiantly believe in and fight for. You can restore those morals and beliefs you so loyally served and adhered to until recently. You believed in the greater good, that what you are doing is right. You believe the path you created was the greater good for everyone. You did it not out of power or greed, but out of a genuine desire to do the good thing, the right thing. You acted selflessly most of your life."

Amann looked between them. His face firmed up as he breathed in and out slowly. He nodded slowly.

"I did some evil things. I know what I have to do. I have a duty to perform if I am to save my people and countless trillions of people. I must...return to the path."

He stared at his parents with resolve.

"I will not fail. I will put everything I have and everything that I am into the fight. I will live and lead not for myself, but for my people and for the greater good of all."

Gera smiled and placed his hands on Amann's shoulders.

"You are still very much a good man, a good man that paid the price for the evil actions you did commit, but at heart you are still a decent person. We will love you, always. You do what you have to do. Do what is right."

Amann's eyes glistened as he embraced his father. He spoke shakily.

"I will. I love you too. I never forgot you or mother. I shamed you with my actions and I was punished. Now I will atone and make things right. For you and for them."

His parents smiled as they faded slowly. Amann watched them go with mixed emotions.

**Ascended Plane of Existence**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

Amann awoke in his cell and raised his head up. He felt a massive headache, and felt drained. He shakily got up and leaned against the wall. It took him a moment to realize that the dungeon was quiet, deathly quiet. He stood up straight and looked around. The prison appeared to be deserted. Amann walked to the barred door to peek down the hall and was surprised when the door swung open. Amann hesitantly stepped out of the cell and looked down the hall. Instead of the archway he saw earlier, there was now a door of light that shone brightly. Pure blinding white light. Amann walked slowly toward it, his boots echoing on the stone pavement as he walked toward it. He was afraid, since he did not know what it was. With a flash, Amann remembered his father''s words. He nodded slowly as if understanding as he reached out a hand.

"I must not be afraid."

Amann took a deep breath as he stepped through the door and exited into the unknown.

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Ballox III**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

**Day 171 - 23:23:59**

Amann blinked in confusion as he exited into an empty field. It was night out, the stars glistening the sky as the disc of the Milky Way swept across the galaxy. Amann was entranced by it for a few moments, breathing in and out as everything he knew now flashed in front of him. Amann was startled out of his trance suddenly as the wind blew, sweeping the grass and the few trees in the massive grassy plains. The Alesian looked around, not sure where to go or proceed. He squinted at the horizon. He thought he could make out a bright light in the distance, but he could not be sure. His posture straightened as he began to walk, determined and ready to continue the fight against the true enemy.


	48. Revelation

**Author's Notes:**

The story of Bleak Twilight is continuing in this story, since all 3 parts will be posted under Golden Dawn. this is to make sure that the readers do not have to switch to favorite a new story by me, and some that will not be aware of this at all. Please review and let me know. To those that have started reading, keep in mind that this was my first fic and I intend to heavily redo the first 15 chapters or so and make minor edits in the later ones. I will keep everyone updated on the progress of that. The first 3 chapters are already redone, they did not require much re-editing. Please keep checking the earlier chapters for some additions to the chapters and more character development :)

Chapter 47 marks the beginning of Part 2 of 3 of the Alesian series. I intend to probably develop maybe 80-90 chapters overall for this story and I hope everyone enjoys :D

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**Bleak Twilight**

**Chapter 48: Revelation**

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Ballox III**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

**Day 172 - 11:26:01**

Amann walked along cautiously, heading toward the city he had seen in front of him late last night. He realized he was on the same planet that he chased ChiYou off of, but none of that mattered now. He hoped that with luck, his jumper was still there, hidden under the cloak. The sun burned to the east, a great red fireball in the sky as he crept quietly along the overgrown field, the wide sweeping plains were dotted by gently rolling hills. Suddenly, Amann paused as he heard a gentle rumbling. Amann looked around and dove to the ground quickly, hitting the cloak on his armor as a line of tanks crested the top of the nearest hill. He did not think the tanks or the infantry with the armor saw him, but he had to be careful. These were ChiYou's clones, which would not hesitate to shoot him on sight.

Amann laid face down on the ground, still in the patch of dirt nearby. Amann waited with bated breath, somewhat nervous. He knew the clones had thermal sensors in their helmets, just like Alesian Legionnaires did. The cloak was supposed to mask most of the heat signature of his body, but Amann was not sure. He had to pray the clones took whatever heat was shown as part of a heated patch of dirt. Amann paused as the tanks rumbled near him, the infantry stepping within feet on either side of him. Amann almost jumped as a foot stomped down an inch in front of his face, the clone soldier walking over Amann as the company sized patrol moved forward. Amann held his breath as his heart pounded in his chest, his eyes following the soldiers as they moved past him.

Finally, the detachment passed him and kept moving on, the noise growing fainter. Amann let out a huge sigh of breath as he started to crawl on his stomach, keeping his heat profile to a minimum as he moved slowly. He had to be careful or he would be dead. Finally the noise of the patrol disappeared entirely as the Alesian crawled forward. Amann waited a few minutes before he rose to a kneeling position, listening carefully for any noises. He heard only the wind whistling through the grass as he stood up and began to move. He knew his jumper had to be only a few miles away. If it was still there.

Amann kept walking slowly, trying to detect anyone. He dared not to turn on his helmet's active sensors, for it would shout his location to anyone equipped enough to detect the sensor waves, and he knew the clones could home in. His foot connected with something as he tripped, falling flat on his face. Amann swore silently as he crawled away from what he tripped on. He turned back to see what it was and nearly gagged. It was a skeleton in Alesian armor, hidden by the tall grass carefully. Obviously, it was part of the garrison that died defending this world. Amann breathed in as he looked to the side of him. There was a staff nearby. Amann grabbed it and realized it was a Legion banner, the flag of the Alesian Eagle was emblazoned on it. The Alesian paused for a second, then ripped the flag off the staff and put it in a pouch at his belt. He did not want to see the flag laying there forgotten, cast aside like the ideals he once had. No, he had to save the flag and his ideals. For everyone's sake. Amann got up off the ground and moved stealthily. He had to survive.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Ballox III**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

**Day 172 - 03:40:12**

Amann paused as he crouched quickly and listened. He heard loud noises going on. Instantly he knew what it was. Amann got back down on his stomach and began to crawl again, cresting the top of a hill as he peered across the burning grass. A battle was going on. He noticed a column of tanks and several squads of clone infantry engaging what had to be Alesian Legionnaires. Amann swore. He knew he had to cross that field if he was to reach the jumper, and he was close enough now to trigger the Jumper control on his belt, which told him it was there. Amann watched as the Alesian Legionnaires were pushed back farther and farther. He wanted to help, but he knew that he would only risk himself. He himself did not matter, but his mission did and he could only carry it out if he survived. Conflicted, Amann could only watch as the two groups fought ferociously, even descending into melee attacks in their hatred for the other.

Cries of pain and anger echoed across the open plains, soldiers dying by the score as the noise of battle was deafening. He heard a humming noise overhead and ducked slighly as 2 Alesian Interceptor fighters came in low, roaring overhead as they fired drones at the tanks, exploding a few of them as they dove away. Streams of missiles followed them from the surviving clone tanks. One of the Alesian interceptors did not make it as no less than 14 missiles struck his shields and the frame. The burning hulk of the fighter streaked down as the pilot aimed for a tank with what little control he had left. The fighter struck the tank and exploded, the crash killing both the pilot and the tank crew inside. No doubt the Alesian wanted to kill a few more clones before he died. Amann winced at the kamikaze tactics. He knew this was wrong, that it was up to him to fix it.

He watched as Predator walkers beamed down, positioned a few hundred feet above the tanks as they roared down, smashing the tanks underneath their bulk as they fired at the surviving tanks furiously with their red beam cannons, exploding them in a fireball as they stepped off the tanks, towering 30 feet above the clones as they fired sonic shockwave cannons to clear out the clone infantry. Amann put his head down in sadness, breathing slowly. He had caused this war and all of the pain. He felt it inside himself, remembering the memories of all of the death and pain when he was on the Ascended plane. He whispered to himself.

"I will not fail."

He peeked his head back up as the Legionnaires walked around, killing any surviving clones, including wounded. He knew they would not take prisoners. Both sides just wanted the other side dead, no one was spared in this war. Amann watched as the Legionnaires started to move off toward the nearby city. The sounds of fighting were already coming from the city as more fighters roared overhead, shooting off their payloads as they streaked toward their targets. Amann waited on the small hill, laying down as the Alesians disappeared. He sighed and got up again, moving quickly toward the cloaked jumper. He triggered the ramp to open as he ran toward it, sprinting as hard as he could. The ramp lowered gently, revealing the interior of the deactivated jumper.

Amann sighed with relief as he rushed inside and hit the ramp to close. He sat down in the cockpit quickly and triggered the jumper. It was undamaged, and surprisingly had remained undetected even with a battle raging nearby. Amann set coordinates for the planet where he knew ChiYou was on last. He hoped that ChiYou survived the battle with him, but he could not be sure. Janus might have killed him already. Amann flew away from the planet. He saw a fleet of Alesian battleships hovering over the planet, but they were too far away and too busy fighting a smaller Tok'ra fleet. They could not detect his jumper, or they simply did not care. Amann was grateful for whatever reason it was as the Jumper entered hyperspace. It would be a few hours. Amann leaned back and closed his eyes in exhaustion, dozing off as the Jumper flew on toward it's destination.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Core Region / Alesia Sector / Alesia III**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

The Lower Council was in session in the capital city of Alesia, gathered to decide the fate of the Empire as a furious debate raged on. Lower Councilor Hemmon was speaking to the assembly of thousands of Councilors in the center of the massive chamber.

"The war continues to wage and yet we condemn the very founder of our Empire to death for his actions. Amann may be guilty of inept leadership, but that does not warrant his arrest and execution! If we condemn the founder of the Empire to certain death...what does that say about the Empire as a whole if we allow it to happen without our consent? It is an illegal action on Janilius's part to have done this action without our authorization."

Hemmon took a deep breath before speaking louder.

"The removal of High Councilors resides solely with a 2/3rds vote of the Lower Council, and we also reserve the sole right to force a High Councilor to stand trial for misconduct! A High Councilor cannot do this! Yet Janilius has. I now ask you, my brothers and sisters, is this the actions of a leader or a tyrant? I say to you that Janilius has become a tyrant! I call upon this council to remove Janilius, the last of the High Council, from power and to charge him with gross misconduct and abuse of his power for his own ends! To have him face a trail in front of the High Magistrate and to stand in judgment for his crimes. A fair trail, a just trial!"

The crowd of Lower Councilors cheered and knocked on their consoles. Hemmon raised his hand.

"I also call for _Concilium Electorate_, the special election of Lower Councilor members to the High Council. Originally a measure only to be used only if the High Council was dead or otherwise incapacitated, I call upon it now to elevate the good people on this council to lead our people into the future, into prosperity and peace! For the people of our great Empire, for the good of all, I call upon you. What is your answer, my brothers and sisters?"

The sound was deafening as thousands of Lower Councilors stood up in their seats and cheered as one. They began to chant loudly.

"_Concilium Electorate_! _Concilium Electorate_! _Concilium Electorate_!"

Hemmon nodded gently and raised his hands for silence.

"In the absence of the Lower Councilor of Alesia, I ask for a vote to to be passed to this position as well. We will require a Lower Councilor of Alesia to be elected to lead our representative body once more. I also call upon an election to replace Cassandra Adar, since she is missing and undoubtedly in hiding from the forces of Janilius. Let us draw from among the good citizens of Alesia a councilor worthy of the position. I also call for..."

What exactly Hemmon called for was never known, as a large blue wave flashed throughout the chamber, the antimatter bomb detonated violently as the Lower Council building exploded, the blast shattering the building into pieces as nearby buildings took the brunt of the blast, the gigantic towers toppling heavily and causing widespread destruction throughout the city. Rescue jumpers were scrambled quickly as Legionnaires and militia rushed in with Healers to try to help the terrified and injured populace. Janilius smiled as he watched the initial reports on his terminal. All was going according to plan. He turned around in his chair and activated a communications channel.

"What are the initial casualty reports, General Salen?"

Salen replied quickly as his impassive face dominated the holoscreen. The man was calm, but Janilius sensed his outrage at the bomb detonation.

"The casualty reports are likely going to be in the millions, but all of the Lower Councilors are dead. Who could have sneaked past their security measures and placed such a bomb inside the Council chambers? Allow me to prosecute and investigate this act of terrorism, Councilor! I will find these terrorists and destroy them. Assassination is rewarded by death!"

Janilius raised his hand.

"Patience, General. Patience. My spies tell me that Amann and his supporters are responsible for this. It is consistent with the fact that so many security measures were broken through, since Amann knew them extensively. It would have been fairly easy for him to circumvent the systems. I am told he is in hiding somewhere. Where I do not know, but you will be in charge of the investigation. Do not fail me."

Salen saluted with a fist to his breastplate.

"It will be done. I will bring the traitor Amann before the Council and he will pay for his crimes."

Janilius smiled.

"I know you will, General. Good luck."

Janilius turned off the terminal and activated a secure and secret channel. He spoke quickly into the long range transmission.

"Lianazhu, my dear, are you there?"

A voice answered for him as the face of an Oriental woman appeared.

"Yes, my dear husband. I am here. What is it?"

Janilius smiled.

"All is going to plan. I want you to prepare our forces and armies. Our ships are building, but begin recruitment and the buildup of our armies at once. They must be well trained and well equipped on their mission to bring Origin to these heathens. What we do not convert, we will destroy."

Lianazhu nodded in understanding.

"Yes, Janus. The others have been informed. I will instruct the Priors to begin at once for the crusade."

Janilius smiled as he deactivated the terminal. All was going to plan.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Core Region**

**Unaffiliated Planet: Core Region / Hatteras Sector / Cal'tec**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

Amann awoke as the console beeped, signaling the exit point was coming up for the hyperspace jump. Amann rubbed his eyes and looked outward as the swirling vortex of blue energy. Amann triggered the deceleration to begin as the Jumper exited hyperspace near the planet. It took Amann a moment to take in what his eyes were telling him. His heart sank as he watched the asteriod field float by, the massive rocks moving past his jumper slowly. Amann sighed as he clasped his hands together. His thoughts were verging on despair and helplessness. _What now? What can I do to end the war? It's hopeless!_ He thought to himself as he sat there, thinking hard. His console beeped as Amann sat there. Finally, Amann turned on the alert. He read on in disinterest, lost in his own thoughts. Suddenly it hit. Amann sat up straight in his seat as he touched the controls to manuever the jumper. He muttered to himself.

"One life form detected...faint energy reading...and a distress signal? Could it be?"

The Jumper began to fly through the dense asteroid field, weaving between the rocks as Amann concentrated on piloting through the field, taking care as he flew toward the lifesign reading and the energy levels, both of which were faint. After a few moments, the jumper cleared part of the field to rest on a particular rock. Amann hovered the jumper and scanned the rock. The Jumper orbited the rock until Amann found what he was looking for. He was surprised to find some sort of shield bubble concentrated in a few dozen meter wide area. There was a form inside the shield, which appeared to be asleep. Amann frowned. He could not get the person out of there, not without destroying the shield. Amann turned on the jumper's drones and sighed.

"Hope you have a personal shield...Chiyou."

He concentrated as a drone shot out and impacted the shield, smashing into it as the air inside the shield was instantly voided out into space. The body of Chiyou was flung into space as Amann locked onto the coordinates of the body and beamed it inside the Jumper's back compartment. He turned as he heard the telltale thump and moved quickly, hovering over ChiYou as the Tok'ra groaned, disoriented. Amann knelt near the Tok'ra and slapped ChiYou gently in the face.

"Wake up. Wake up, you son of a bitch. Wake up!"

Chiyou groaned as he awoke slowly. His eyes found Amann and he roared in rage.

"You! I'm going to kill you, you bastard!"

Chiyou got up quickly and searched for his weapons. Amann replied sardonically as he stood up, facing the Tok'ra warlord..

"You won't find them. I took the small liberty of not beaming them in with you. It is time we talked, face to face."

ChiYou growled.

"I will kill you with my bare hands!"

He rushed at Amann with a scream of hatred as Amann stepped aside and smashed an armored fist across ChiYou's head, sending the Tok'ra spinning into the nearest bulkhead. Amann spoke.

"We must talk! Now! This will solve nothing! Sit down! NOW! You are no match for me in your weakened state!"

Amann concentrated with his mind, his hand reached out as ChiYou was lifted up and placed onto the seat forcibly with telekinesis. ChiYou growled in rage as he was made to sit. Amann growled.

"Do you want to die or do you want to sit and listen to what I have to say?"

Chiyou retorted.

"What is there to talk about? We are enemies. You killed my people, and I killed yours! What else is there to understand?"

Amann spoke quietly as he continued to pace.

"Yes we did. I regret doing it too. I am going to release you now if you will give me the time to speak. You must be informed of some things. Things that will affect the entire galaxy and will dictate the prosperity of both our peoples, or their mutual destruction. Will you give me my say?"

ChiYou growled.

"Fine, but if I do not like it, I will kill you no matter what."

Amann replied with weariness.

"I probably do deserve death for my crimes. But death would have been a mercy to what I did have to suffer on the Ascended plane."

Amann stopped his pacing and looked at ChiYou in the eye. He spoke

"I saw everything in a flash. I saw the deaths I have caused, experienced it. All of the deaths and the pain of all the people I killed, what I have done since I founded the Empire. I saw the truth! I saw that we were both tricked and manipulated into attacking each other! I saw it all! And I say to you now, NO MORE! I am tired of being manipulated, tired of being played as a pawn against another pawn by the true threat, the real enemy!"

ChiYou growled.

"You lie. You always lied. You betrayed me at Kauri."

Amann shook his head.

"No, I was tricked into thinking you were the one responsible for the first Alesian Civil War, the man behind my wife and sister's murder. I was tricked into fighting you. That is what caused this war. It must end. For we will either stand together or we will fall. We stand on the brink of destruction, and the slightest divide will destroy us."

The Alesian kept pacing, his metal boots echoing on the metallic floor as he spoke with urgency.

"Does that excuse my actions? Hell no. But I paid for those crimes, far more dearly than the worst tortures and most painful death you could imagine for me. I will have to live with the pain and the burden and the memories of all those that I have killed either through my orders or personally. And for my actions toward you and your people, I am sorry. For what little it is worth."

The Tok'ra blinked.

"What?"

Amann paused in mid-step.

"I am sorry, ok? I made terrible mistakes and I paid the price. You were tricked as well. I have further proof of what I know. I will link with your mind and show you the evidence of what I have learned. I retained it off the Ascended plane. Will you witness what I am about to show you?"

ChiYou paused for a moment before growling.

"Very well."

Amann nodded as he reached out with a hand toward ChiYou and a beam of energy flowed from his hand into ChiYou's mind. Amann closed his eyes and allowed the mental stream to connect and flow. Memories streamed into ChiYou's head as he twitched in fury at the images. Finally, Amann lowered his hand as ChiYou gasped from the overload. Amann spoke.

"You now know what I know. Janilius is the one responsible. He is an Ori infiltrator sent here to weaken everyone. The real threat is the Ori themselves, the eternal enemy of everyone that does not worship them or follow their religion. I have watched them ever since the founding of the Empire, and prepared to fight them if necessary. They are a threat to you, a threat to me."

ChiYou breathed in and out.

"You still killed the Kauri and most of their people."

Amann nodded slowly.

"Yes, and I make no excuse for what I did. But I did pay for it. You saw the memories and a glimpse of the pain and guilt I have."

ChiYou nodded slowly.

"I did sense that. You could be tricking me however. How can I be sure?"

Amann shook his head.

"There is no trickery. I have nothing to gain with trickery. I could have easily killed you, and the Alesians would have won the war against the Tok'ra, despite all the casualties you did cause. I have more to gain by showing you the truth. We must survive, so that we can fight and defeat the Ori. Will you aid me? Aid me in achieving a ceasefire? A peaceful resolution to the conflict that has cost over 90 billion people? You were once a man of honor, and you once thought of me as a man of honor as well. We once trusted each other, a lasting peace was almost achieved. Can you forgive me for what I have done?"

ChiYou sighed. Finally he nodded.

"Forgiveness will come slow, but it may be...possible. But not today. I will ally with you to save us all."

Amann nodded.

"Spoken like the man I once knew. You would have made a good Alesian."

ChiYou growled as he got up and headed toward the cockpit.

"Alright. We made peace. What is your next move?"

Amann paused.

"I must contact several people in the Empire that I know, several that will at least listen or try to trust me. People that won't shoot me on sight."

Amann smiled grimly.

"I am considered a war criminal in my own Empire you know. They all have orders to hunt me down and kill me, but some can be trusted not to...I think. If I can convince enough of them, your forces trapped in the Empire can escape and withdraw to your bases to rebuild and rearm for the threat. I will then try to take out Janilius with your aid and win back control of the Empire. Then I can take the process of rebuilding as well. I will have warning if the Ori try to attack us with an invasion fleet, since it would take a year by hyperspace travel to reach us."

Chiyou frowned.

"How will you know if they are as far away as you say they are?"

Amann tapped the control console as he typed in new coordinates. He replied after a moment.

"I have sensor platforms stationed around their galaxy, placed in secret just out of the Ori reach. I also have my spies in their ranks. People that were sympathetic to the Ancients that left the galaxy millions of years ago. They do not like what the Ori stand for, and yet they have managed to hide that fact from their brethren. They are a fifth column aiding us and helping us with information. They cannot communicate safely with us often, but we will get a warning if they are preparing. This information is top secret, and you must never repeat what I just told you. This information is classified among the council, and was never written down. Thankfully, Janilius does not know. I never got around to telling him."

Chiyou looked at Amann.

"That is fortunate. So we will have more than a year's warning. That is good news."

Amann nodded.

"Yes. The platforms cannot be tampered with, not without us knowing. And our agents have not sent the compromised code yet. So they are still operating. With luck, we will be ready for them. Now, we must see an old friend of mine. I trust you are ready."

ChiYou nodded with determination.

"Yes."

Amann touched a control crystal as the swirling blue vortex of hyperspace appeared. The Jumper accelerated into hyperspace as it flew, heading toward the edge of the galaxy.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Mid Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Berian IV**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

The war ravaged world of Berian IV, the site of one of the greatest victories of the Alesian-Tok'ra war, had been freed of the Tok'ra invasion, thanks to the actions of General Galen and his 7 Legions that were garrisoned on the planet. For his actions and exceptional tactical prowess, he was promoted and awarded the Order of the Legion for his actions. Renate stood on the plains of Berian among a group of white armored officers, remembering the events of the last few weeks. She had congratulated the newly promoted Galen and wished him luck. It was with sadness she had watched him go off to take over his new command, the 2nd Fleet Group. She had received her own decorations as well, but she turned down promotion yet again. She felt her place was in the field commanding a Legion, not sitting on some bridge or "flying a desk" as she had called it.

But she was happy now, happy that her superior now commanded what was becoming a major part of the blockade that was hemming in the Tok'ra and surrounding them for the final battle. They both shared a mutual respect for the other, since they were both seasoned veterans and professional soldiers. Renate was shaken out of her reverie as she felt a tap on her shoulder. The young Legate next to her saluted her and spoke quickly.

"Madam Legate, we are ready to commence the exercise."

Renate nodded in understanding as she looked around. She sighed. She had been tasked by Galen to oversee the training of the reserve Legions, the officers of which were not veterans of wars. Most of them were out of shape, which disgusted her. The officers of the reserve Legions hadn't commanded much more than a desk for the entire time their Legion was deactivated, which frustrated her highly as she was tasked with teaching these...children. The Legate next to her had drawn her attention lately. He annoyed her with his boasts of how his Legion would easily become on par with the veteran Legions. It was almost laughable, but she had remained silent the whole time, letting her rage build. She nodded to the young Legate as she donned her helmet, covering up most of her sleek black hair.

"You may begin the exercise, Legate Haman."

Haman turned and gave the orders to his commanders.

"Commence exercise. Assault!"

Legate Renate watched impassively as the white armored Alesian soldiers practiced the assault for the 4th time that morning. Her eyes missed nothing as the out of shape legionnaires scrambled up the hill to attack the defensive line of bunkers, simulated laser turrets, holographic soldiers, and mounted targets. Her expression was set in stone as the legion of 5000 men took the hill with support from Predator walkers and fighters. Finally, she took off her helmet and turned to the nervous Legate of the legion. She gave him a small smile, which he returned hesitantly. After a moment, she finally spoke, throwing her sleek dark hair back over her shoulder.

"An Alesian Legion, Legate Haman? Alesia's finest soldiers? The elite of our entire military? These little children you call soldiers couldn't guard a whorehouse, much less do anything worthwhile inside it! And how in the hell did you rise to command a Legion, an armored fist of the Empire? You've been in command for 3 years and the only thing you have learned is how to kill these children of yours 4 separate times!"

The Legate flinched at her harsh words as she continued in a mounting fury, taking the time to spit on the ground in disgust.

"Had that hill been held by my own legion or a competent unit, you and your entire command would be dead! Your Predators do not coordinate with your infantry well. You make improper use of your air assets in an assault. The children you command react slowly on the battlefield, which will get them killed!"

Renate calmed down a bit from her tirade, which had ended an inch from Haman's face. She breathed in and out slowly to calm herself.

"There are two things I am going to do to make sure you and this Legion are fit for battle. The first thing I will do is find a suitable place to puke in disgust at the quality of reserve Legion officers these days. The second thing I intend to do is return to my ship and bring MY legion down and show you how a REAL assault is supposed to be done. I suggest you and your men bring a holo-recorder. Then you will run the assault again after you have studied how my Valkyries did the assault. Carry on, Legate."

She didn't even acknowledge the salute from the junior Legate as she passed right by him to her executive officer standing a few dozen feet away. She leaned in to whisper to her.

"Commander Valana, I trust you will make sure the Valkyries are ready for action. After my chewing out of Legate Haman, I will not be disappointed in front of them."

Valana smiled at her superior officer and gave a respectful nod. She spoke quietly as they walked away from Haman toward their nearby jumper.

"It will be done, Legate. In all honesty, they did not do all that bad."

Renate replied grudgingly as she walked inside the transport jumper.

"They fared alright, but they could still be better. When they do the assault again, they will perform in a fashion worthy of the Alesian military standard. That I am confident of."

Valana smiled as they boarded the jumper. The jumper took off and headed for the _AES Valkyrie_, an Angelan class warship hovering in high orbit above Berian. The two women remained silent as their jumper entered the fighter bay of the powerful Alesian warship, escorted by 3 cruisers and an Aurora. Renate smiled as she walked off the Jumper. The militia detachment that guarded and maintained the fighter bays saluted her as she walked off. She returned the salute with a smile as she turned to Valana.

"Prepare the Legion for the exercise. We will show that pompous ass commanding those children how real war is conducted. Just to shame him and to inspire him to perform to our standard. They will be going to the front in a few months and they must be ready."

Valana nodded to her.

"Yes, ma'am. I will see the Legion is readied."

Renate nodded as she rubbed her eyes in weariness. She grumbled as she began to walk across the fighter bay.

"In the meantime, I will be in my quarters, catching up on my favorite pastime. Paperwork."

Valana smiled.

"Ah yes, paperwork. You have to love it."

Renate smiled weakly.

"It is necessary, but I still hate it. Why do you think I decline promotions? Too much paperwork. I trust you will be on the bridge, commander?"

Valana laughed.

"Yes. I will inform the other commanders to be ready."

Renate nodded.

"Good."

Renate walked away from Valana as she strode along the long wide hallways of her ship. Legionnaires walking by saluted their Legate crisply. She returned the salutes with enthusiasm. They were good soldiers, some of the best in the Empire and she was proud of them. She entered her quarters and placed her helmet on the table by the door, loosening her armor as she headed toward her adjacent office. The door slid open for her as she entered the office. Renate frowned as her eyes fell on two men with their backs to her. One looked like he had Alesian armor, but the other...She instantly pointed her wrist blaster and growled.

"Tok'ra! Turn around slowly or I will kill you! Hands up!"

A voice replied.

"Lower your blaster, Legate Renate. You have no need of it here."

Renate stared in shock as Amann turned to face her.

"Amann...what? Why are you... Chiyou! He is the leader of the enemy we are fighting!"

Renate pointed her blaster at ChiYou. Amann quickly moved forward and grabbed her wrist.

"I said no! Lower the blaster Renate! He is now an ally! I have something to say to you and to show you!"

Renate frowned as she did as she was told.

"This better be good, Amann. We are old friends, and I may have once served under you in the Lantean Fleet, but I still have orders by the High Council to shoot you on sight."

Amann spoke quickly.

"Orders by Janilius you mean. And technically, he has to get authority from the Lower Council, which I know he has not done yet."

Renate growled.

"It is said you killed the Lower Council."

Amann was taken aback. He was surprised at that revelation.

"What? How? How is that possible?"

Renate sighed as she looked into Amann's face.

"I can see that you do not know. You could not have done it. You got the blame...for it."

Amann growled in anger.

"Did I? I might have done some bad things, but I did not kill most of our government off!"

Renate nodded.

"I can tell. You have no idea. I will give you the short version. A bomb went off during a Lower Council session. It was a closed session, so I do not know what the debate was about. Almost all of the Lower Councilors were killed, the only ones that survived were offworld at the time. You got the blame for it, you and whatever supporters you had."

Amann raised a hand to his eyes and rubbed them.

"What supporters? I just got out of the Ascended prison! I haven't had any time to gather support or do anything besides convince ChiYou that the entire war was a mistake and that the true enemy is upon us."

Renate blinked at that.

"What?"

Amann sighed.

"It is easier to show than to explain. Observe."

Amann raised a hand and a beam of energy hit Renate in the head. Amann sent his memories and thoughts into her head. Renate gasped in shock as she witnessed everything. Amann lowered his hand. Renate spoke after a moment.

"So much pain and anguish...you went through all that and you saw all this?"

Amann nodded.

"Yes...I did not kill my wife or my sister, even though many do. There is blood on my hands, but none of theirs. Me and Chiyou were manipulated by Janilius, turned against each other. We committed terrible crimes, and we paid for it. But right now, we must stand together and defeat the threat that is bound to come. The Ori will come eventually, and we can foil their invasion plans if we destroy Janus and his plans right here. Their plan was obviously to infiltrate all of us and turn everyone on each other, opening the galaxy wide open for an invasion. We know the threat now, and we will destroy the threat. Janilius must be overthrown and he must be killed."

Amann sat down in the chair in front of Renate's desk.

"It will not be easy. I have to clear my name...again. I also have to win back the hearts and minds of the Empire if I am to ever lead our people again. I do this not for me, but for the Empire and for the good of us all. I know where I screwed up and I will fix that screwup. By making peace with the Tok'ra and by defeating the Ori menace. But we will have to fight another civil war. A terrible civil war that will test our resolve and our people, for many Legates and Generals will not turn. They will defend Alesia against a percieved war criminal and a percieved enemy. But if we can recruit enough Generals and enough respected Legates to turn most of our forces to our side, we will win. The trick is to do that. There has to be some dissent, some unrest among the Alesian ranks at how screwed up the government has become. We must show them that Janilius is evil and is the true enemy."

Renate nodded.

"Yes, but we are still only one Legion. My Legion will fight for me, and I will fight with you, but we are outnumbered."

Amann tapped the desk.

"You must convince your superiors to meet with me. Particularly General Galen. He commands over 100 Legions now, and he is a highly respected general. Second only to Ayen in terms of prestige perhaps. I hope to turn Ayen as well, but he is a stubborn man that will not be easy to convince. He thinks of me as mad...well I was mad...but I have some sanity back...enough to finish the fight anyway..."

A look of weariness flickered across Amann's face. Renate watched him carefully.

"You were...are...a honorable and decent man. A man I respected ever since I was assigned to your ship all those thousands of years ago. You have the strength to fight."

Amann nodded.

"Yes. There is no use in bitching and moaning about it either. Let's go contact General Galen and then see what we can do to convince other Legates and Generals of our cause. I will have to find my sister, who is alive...Taelira would be a good start too, since she is with her. I also have to find Demos. With 4 of the 5 council members, we can portray ourselves as the true ruling body of Alesia and show Janilius as the traitor and usurper that he is. We have much work to do. This is what I plan."

Renate sat down with ChiYou as Amann began to outline his plan.


	49. Trial of Fire

**Bleak Twilight**

**Chapter 49: Trial of Fire

* * *

**

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Padrasis Sector / Padras III**

**Alesian-Tok'ra War: Month 10**

**Day 189 - 02:10:12**

_NABIS Message 294Z7X19VC4_

_From: AleHiComm  
To: 578th Legion and attached ships.  
Priority: Immediate_

_1. You are hereby ordered to retake Padras III with your forces by any means necessary. See attached file below.  
2. Limited Omega Operations may be commenced against Tok'ra ground forces. Authorization limited to local bombardment.  
3. Assess strength of Tok'ra Fleet units in nearby sectors._

_NABIS Intelligence Report 137-XG7-666_  
_For_  
_Alesian Empire - Mid Sector - Padras System - Padras III_

_Pre-War population: 4 million Alesians, 31 million humans_  
_Current: 3 million Clones, 23 million humans, approx. 9 thousand Alesians_  
_Classification: Fortress World_

_Taken several months into the war, the clones have fortified their positions since their defeat over Alesia and Berian, as well as the subsequent victories over their forces in the Core and Mid-Region worlds. The Tok'ra are weakened heavily, their forces forced to consolidate across 30 Outer Region Worlds and 5 Mid-Region worlds. Garrison appears to be heavily dug in, but fleet and defenses are vulnerable to a lightning strike by fleet-based forces. Estimated correlation of forces listed in attachment file._

* * *

An Alesian fleet of 2 Auroras and 4 cruisers exited hyperspace at the edge of the Padra system. It was once a properous planetary system that provided much of industrial goods for the nearby systems. It used to hold over 35 million people. The Alesian commander sighed as he read the information appearing on the screen. One of the Centurions entered the bridge and saluted.

"Sir!"

The commander saluted back.

"Centurion, report."

"The fleet is ready, sir. All six ships report that they are ready to engage."

The commander nodded thoughtfully.

"I know that other fleets have taken the enemy strongholds, but be on the alert. We know that these Tok'ra are not such easy enemies."

"Yes, sir... and sir?"

"What is it, Centurion?"

The centurion hesitated a moment before speaking.

"Is the enemy's communication barrier still in place? We have not heard any new information from the High Command for a week since we separated from the main fleet. We do not know what we are getting into. Last we heard, the Tok'ra are using new planetary shields, sir."

The commander tapped on the control chair with armored fingers. Finally, he spoke.

"I have heard that as well. We know they use theater shields for their main forces. Planetary shields require alot of power, and it is unlikely they have them."

"Very good, sir. It's just that I don't particularly like the idea of our beamings and transports getting blasted apart by their shield... if they have one."

"We will start with an orbital bombardment first, just to see if the reports are true. If so, we will report back for the main fleet and they can break the shield. If not, we land on the planet and take it for the Alesian Empire."

"Yes, sir."

One of the bridge officers turned his head to report.

"Commander, we are ready to enter the system. Shields are at maximum."

The commander walked over to the bridge officer's station.

"Very well. Report scans of the system."

"We are reading... six space stations located at the poles and around the equator. Approximately 750 smaller satellites, 3 ships consistent with Tok'ra cruisers. We are also reading massive energy readings from the planet, but we cannot tell what it is."

"Strong defenses it sounds like, but their stations cannot move and support each other. The satellites are much slower and hence we have the advantage. We will jump over the cruisers and blow them to pieces, and then start on the satellites and the nearest station.

"Yes, sir."

The Alesian fleet suddenly entered hyperspace, and they shot out near Padras III. However, just as they exited the hyperspace, something happened around the space near their exit points.

"Sir, we are reading dimensional phasing all around us!"

Another Legionnaire reported.

"We are reading... Mines! Phased mines! Counting 634 and increasing!"

The Alesian commander swore.

"Shields to maximum power! Get the point defense lasers online!"

"Sir, we have reports of..."

The ship shook as reports from several officers streamed in from all over the ship.

"We have mines appearing inside the ship! We have put forcefields around the main systems!"

"It appears to be working! Minimal damage!"

"Fire under control in fighter bay! No damage!"

"All systems nominal in main engineering! Reactor operating at 100%!"

The commander nodded as he gave the orders to engage. The Alesian fleet's quick thinking spared a humiliating defeat at the hands of the phased mines, but the mines exploded all around them, impacting the shields of the ships while the point defense lasers desperately fired their weapons against the incoming mines. Hundreds of mines exploded from the red lasers as the mines were drawn in toward the small Alesian fleet. The main weapons of the Alesian ships began to fire, concentrating on the Tok'ra cruisers that were trying to power up their shields and weapons. However, the Tok'ra cruisers seemed different. Unlike their clumsy predecessors, their shields were up faster, and clearly more blue as they flared against the Alesian weapons. Not only that, there were no impacts getting through the shields.

"Sir, their shields are stronger! I estimate nearly double the strength as their older cruisers!"

The commander swore.

"That is not good. Destroy their ships! Starlance array, power up and fire."

The front end of the Alesian Aurora began to glow as the neutron cannons pointed toward the front of the ship and fired, powering up the new modification to the Alesian ships. The Alesians had worked on their ships recently, using their beam weapons to combine into one massive beam of energy. With such a shot, they could destroy ships packed together or destroy theater based shielding with one shot. The front end of the ship glowed bluish white before it fired a ship wide beam of energy at the 3 Tok'ra cruisers. One of the Tok'ra cruisers was struck, and though its shield held for a few moments, it gave out and the cruiser was disintegrated. However, the remaining two cruisers suddenly disappeared, and they reappeared right above the Alesian fleet. The Commander was surprised at the short range teleport.

"What was that?"

"It appears to be a short-range teleportation, sir! They are firing!"

The Tok'ra cruiser rained down their usual armaments, but they also fired blue balls of disruptive energy, which took a heavy toll on the Alesian shields. The commander gritted his teeth as the bad news did not stop there. The nearest battle-station had locked on to the Alesian fleet, and it began to send out its fighters and bombers, and fired missiles and torpedoes at the attackers. But the Alesian ships were still tougher than the Tok'ra as their heavy weapons fired at the Tok'ra ships, their beams impacting the Tok'ra shields with their full power. One of the Tok'ra ships lost it's shield and promptly exploded from the 4 neutron beams that struck it. 2 of the Alesian ships moved to attack the station as the remaining Alesian fleet moved on the last Tok'ra ship.

Meanwhile, the firefight between the station and the Alesian ships began to intensify as the Alesians finally finished off the cruisers and escaped the minefield they were stuck in. However, the station was large, and it had better, heavier weapons. As hundreds of Tok'ra fighters and bombers engaged the Alesians, four blue beams struck one of the ships and two beams on the other ship attacking the station. Back on the flagship, the Alesians quickly scanned the attack. Reports came in quickly as both ships attacking the station were destroyed with tremendous force.

"Sir, short range scan indicates that the planet has a planetary shield and that the station is at least a match for 2 of our Aurora's! It would take at least 5 times our fleet force to defeat the defenses here! We must pull back and retreat from the planet to report to the main fleet!"

"Commander, we have this weapon listed in our database. It was in the most recent update. It appears to be called a "Prismatic Beam"... It disrupts shields and scrambles control systems when it breaks shields, sir!"

As the officers gave their reports, the two larger stations near the poles of the planet fired their long range weapons.

"Sir, incoming heavy missiles! Anti-matter detected! Damn! They look alot like our missiles! Bastards must have copied us! They are stronger against physical barriers! If we maintain our shields, it would be better survival odds for the ship, sir!"

"Sir, the Prismatic beams are draining the shields on cruisers _Heraptos_ and _Saragenos_!"

The commander paused in his options. He had already lost 2 Alesian ships to the Tok'ra defenses.

"Order a retreat to the main fleet. We must report this to General Galen. We cannot stay here."

Suddenly, a large explosion rocked the ship. The _Valarenos_, the ship at the rear, was blown apart as a massive Tok'ra dreadnought appeared from behind with six battlecruisers around it. It was a trap. The three cruisers were bait. The commander swore as he watched the cruiser explode.

"We are outmatched. Retreat from the system. Activate hyperdrive!"

As the hyperspace window opened, it attracted the phase mines, and they exploded across the retreating Alesian ships as they entered the window. _Demarios_, the smallest ship of the Alesian fleet, lost its hyperdrive from a random mine that exploded against it's hull. Soon it was surrounded by mines that caused massive explosions and destroyed the cruiser. This attempt to retake Padras III did not go well for the Alesians.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Tok'ra Republic: Core World / Baedel Sector / Baedal III**

**Alesian-Tok'ra War: Month 10**

**Day 0 - 02:10:12**

The report of this incursion quickly went to the Tok'ra Council on Baedal III, the most second highly populated and advanced planet among the core domain of ChiYou. With the destruction of Kauri, Baedal III was now the capital of ChiYou's door opened, and a Tok'ra in the traditional black Kauri officer's uniform, entered the Council chamber, and headed to the Chairman's Office. There, the Tok'ra found Sel'mak, the most respected and current leader of the Tok'ra, conversing with other leaders. Selmak was currently with Korra, who had just been revived from the last fatal battle with the Alesians at Galfan. Per'sus was there. Per'sus officially led the Tok'ra but in military matters, all power was in Sel'mak's capable hands. His melding with Jacob, a former AirForce General, had a great impact in his commanding capability. It also helped him influence the creation of the combined armies of the Tok'ra Republic and their operational doctrine. Sel'mak was sitting in the chair of the great council chamber. Since he was the one that designed most of the Tok'ra armies, his influence meant he commanded the Tok'ra war effort with ChiYou missing in action. He tapped his fingers on the desk as Korra and Per'sus finished speaking. The Tok'ra leader looked toward the officer and spoke.

"What is it, commander?"

"Sir, we have latest reports. We have defeated an Alesian fleet attempting to retake Padras III."

Sel'mak nodded wearily.

"Good. That is good news in a sea of bad news. So far, all I have been hearing is defeat after defeat as the Alesians have been busy driving us from the center of their Empire, cutting off our forces and supplies and tightening their blockade."

Per'sus nodded with pleasure.

"Finally we regained a victory! We have been losing so many planets in the last three months that it almost seemed hopeless."

Korra nodded.

"Our supply lines are back to about 60% thanks to the new Ship Gates. These new technologies that are finally being implemented are good for us."

Sel'mak nodded.

"Yes, but the Alesian armies are now far stronger than they were. They had 10 million Legionnaires roughly before, now they have nearly 100 million...from these reserve legions. And at least 200 million Militia. Alesian morale is particularly high at the moment, and that will fuel them to destroy us quicker."

Per'sus replied.

"Our manpower has been increasing as well, Sel'mak. We still have over 80 million in the field, 40 million ready to depart, and we have a million new Clones ready in two weeks. Our scientists say that we will have the new batch of Clones ready in another month, and that's at least 4 million."

Sel'mak shook his head.

"The Alesians have stronger individual soldiers. We also fielded over 400 million in our initial assault. We have sustained 80% casualties, and the Alesian armies are stronger than ever. We need to maintain numerical superiority in order to prevail. How are the secondary cloning facilities, Korra?"

"Well, our technology is much less than Lord ChiYou's. Our Cloning Facilities will produce their first batch in 2 months."

Sel'mak narrowed his eyes.

"That's another five million... but that's not enough. We need more men or we will lose the war. After they defeat our armies in the Alesian Empire, then they will attack our home forces. I have no doubt to their ability to find our planets, even the hidden ones."

He turned to the Tok'ra officer.

"Anything else?"

'Well, sir. The Goa'uld have been trying to find our worlds. Ba'al had succeeded in finding one of our factory worlds. The fleet was destroyed, but I fear more attacks will come on that world. Earth has also begun to protest the attacks on the Alesian Empire, along with the Asgard. They condemn the genocide of the Alesian populace. Relations are starting to become strained with our allies. Both have filed official protests regarding the genocide."

Sel'mak closed his eyes and sighed. Jacob spoke.

"I will talk to Earth. I will pull some strings, and we may have to give up something to appease them. As for Asgard, they would remain silent as long as Lord ChiYou was here, but without him... Still, they will do nothing. Per'sus, I know you are busy building up Sol'ran, but I was wondering if you could see to the defenses of this factory world."

Per'sus nodded.

"I will. Ba'al will rue the day he decided to come against us."

Korra turned to the Tok'ra officer.

"What of the war between the System Lords and Anubis? With the technology we have given the System Lords, the balance would be even by now."

"The war is effectively a stalemate between them. The System Lords are slowly pushing back Ba'al however, although they are taking massive casualties in doing so."

"Hmm... Jacob, if the Tauri could interfere, we could maintain the balance between them. It would bring us less headaches."

"I will see what I can do."

Another officer came in and strode over to Sel'mak and whispered in his ear. After a moment, Sel'mak's eyes went wide.

"Are you sure? Very well."

He dismissed the aide and stood up.

"If you will excuse me, our queen has summoned me. I must attend."

He walked out of the council chamber, his boots impacting the wood floor with precision as he headed toward the private quarters of Egeria. He reached a door and knocked politely. A voice spoke.

"Come in."

Sel'mak opened the door to find a beautiful woman sitting at a computer console. She was busy reading and perusing files. She turned to greet Sel'mak, turning in her chair.

"General, please come in."

Sel'mak walked in, closing the door behind him.

"My queen, it is good to see you finally awakened once more to lead my people."

Egeria smiled.

"You are not my servant, General. You are a great man in your own right, along with my husband. I fear though, that with him dead, the war will be lost...perhaps it is a good thing."

Sel'mak was disturbed.

"My queen?"

Egeria continued.

"I never wanted my children to practice genocide. I understand the war of revenge against the Alesians, but I was opposed to the slaughter of the civilians. Defeat their military forces yes, but extermination was not what I wanted. I fear we made ourselves like the Goa'uld."

Sel'mak thought for a moment before replying.

"The Alesians started it my queen. We are getting revenge for what happened to Lord ChiYou's children."

"Blood begets blood. Two wrongs does not make a right, General. I fear we have created a monster among our people. Our children have become maddened with hate, and we have little time before we fall into the abyss. Perhaps we should consider peace with the Alesian Empire. We have gotten enough blood from the Alesians, slaughtering over 70 billion of their citizens. Isn't it enough? Should we end it at last? The Alesians already sought out peace terms more than once. Perhaps we should consider terms..."

Sel'mak blinked at his queen, shocked at her demeanor.

"You could be right, but we should win a victory in the field before we can make terms. At least represent strength instead of weakness."

Egeria nodded.

"Very well, but I would ask you to revoke the decree of slaughtering the civilians. With my husband gone, you lead our military forces. You can overrule a decree."

Sel'mak nodded.

"I will see what can be done."

Egeria smiled.

"Good. Please sit down. Tell me about your home. Earth I mean. I would like to hear about it."

Sel'mak sat down in the chair and spoke, telling her about his home on Earth.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Outer Region / Jia Sector / Tarsus III**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

**Day 297 - 14:11:18**

General Galen stood on the plains of an Alesian outer world. The orbit above the planet had been the site of a battle early in the war between the 8th Fleet of General Salen and a Tok'ra fleet that ambushed them with the help of a cloaked minefield. The story was quite different now, as the Tok'ra were slowly being crushed and destroyed as the Alesian blockade tightened on the few remaining strongholds that they still held. Resistance was crumbling as the Alesian juggernaut were getting stronger in the field while the Tok'ra armies weakened and crumbled under the might of the much larger Alesian Empire. The scarred General turned toward the brown haired man standing next to him and saluted respectfully.

"General Ayen, sir, we are prepared to launch the assault. The new artillery units are prepared. I have studied much of what the Tok'ra armies are based off of. We have concluded that it is General Sel'mak's designs and his host's influence that has been the primary source of how their army works. Combined with their technology given to them by ChiYou, this makes them formidable. However, now that we have studied the Terrans as well, and I have formulated a response to Tok'ra artillery guns based on the battlefields of Berian."

General Ayen nodded slowly, his green eyes scanning the horizon.

"I read your report. You were using old howitzers that, despite their primitive nature, performed well. I am impressed with the results. If this goes well, I will sign the recommendation that all Alesian Legions and Militia be equipped with artillery units. We learned a lot in this conflict, and what our vulnerabilities were. We will be much better prepared in the future, what with the invention of Phoenix Legionnaires and the new artillery….What are they called again?"

Galen grinned viciously.

"Hellstorm. I picked the name, sir."

Ayen gave a slight chuckle.

"Appropriately named. Now, commence your bombardment."

Ayen moved until he was watching the new vehicles moved forward into firing position. The tracks churned the ground, the naquadah reactor feeding power to the vehicle as they parked in a staggered line, the boxlike profile of the Hellstorm tracks looking bulky, but functional. They were based off a Tauri system called a MLRS after all. Ayen watched as part of the track raised and pointed up as Galen issued orders. Finally, Galen spoke.

"Commence fire mission. Fire at will! Targets are inputted in fire computer."

The Hellstorm vehicles began to fire hundreds of glowing streams of light, the antimatter rockets screaming into the sky with a ferocious roar. As soon as the artillery fired off their payload, they rolled away from the empty space before Tok'ra artillery could home in on their position. Galen beamed to the forward area with Ayen, noting with pride that the Legionnaires assembled in the trenches were already prepared and ready to commence the final assault on the remnant Tok'ra units on this world. Galen spoke in the vox unit.

"Attention all troops!"

The Legionnaires snapped to attention. Galen spoke harshly.

"The Tok'ra thought of us as a target to conquer, thinking their weapons and tactics were enough to crush the Alesian Empire. They care nothing for our people or our ideals, wishing only our utter destruction. But no more! They are beaten, crumbling before the might of the Empire. It was only a matter of time before our much greater resources were mobilized fully to crush them into dust!"

Galen smiled as he continued.

"And we will show them. We will show the galaxy that we are still strong as we stand triumphant over our broken enemies, their troops crushed beneath our feet and their starships shattered hulks drifting into the stellar winds. No one will question the might of the Empire after this day! No one will stand in our way of realizing our vision! When you face your enemy, you will stare him in the face! Don't turn your back to him, there is no retreat or surrender! Give not one inch of ground! Now go, and fight with honor! Ave Imperium!"

The Legionnaires roared back, the sound reaching a crescendo as over 100,000 voices echoed across the plains.

"Ave Imperium! For Alesia!"

The Alesian soldiers turned and began to climb over their trenches toward the Tok'ra enemy in the distance, the ground shook underneath the masses of the white armored soldiers in their staggered assault columns, spreading out over wider ground as they began to move quickly in a battle run. Galen turned and saluted Ayen.

"I will prepare the fleet to bombard the remaining Tok'ra armies once the shield generator is disabled. I will depart in the jumper with your permission, sir."

The two generals exchanged salutes with fists to their breastplates as Galen turned to leave.

* * *

_A mile away…_

The Tok'ra General Gershaw, revived from his fight with Amann at Averian, stood in the trench lines of the Tok'ra armies left on this world. Over a period of 3 weeks, they were pushed into the outer worlds, forced back as the Alesian fleet constricted tighter and tighter on the remaining Tok'ra ships and armies. Gershaw knew he was in a bad position and that the war was likely to end with the obliteration of the Tok'ra. Even so, he would fight to the death if needed. The Kauri officers saluted Gershaw crisply as he entered the forward command center, their black uniforms were freshly pressed. He greeted the senior officer in the room.

"General Park. How goes the defensive preparations? I assume they are going well?"

Park saluted, the former gate commander of Kauri had gone far in the ranks during the war.

"Indeed sir. The Alesians do not seem to be doing much at the moment, although they are ready to go at a moment's notice. I feel they will strike soon, since there is a minimum of vox communication. Even though we are unable to crack into their comm channels, we have ideas on what they will do based on the number of transmissions made. An army that is silent in the field is only planning one thing. Attack. They will strike soon, and they will strike us hard. I fear our defensive positions are not enough, sir."

Gershaw waved his hand.

"It is what we have. We can be thankful that their warships can't do orbital bombardment thanks to our defensive shielding, although their ground forces can still assault us due to their forces being inside the shield. We will be prepa….what the hell is that?"

He heard a screeching sound as he looked outside the fortified bunker. To his horror, he watched as the bluish glowing rockets began to impact in furious salvos. The explosions were hellish, exploding with tremendous force, rivaling that of tactical nuclear warheads. Clones caught out in the open were incinerated from the antimatter missiles as they smashed into the lines. Gershaw swore as he watched missiles streak behind him, heading to what he knew had to be his remaining artillery support. Fireballs in the sky told him the missiles were hitting accurately.

"The Alesians developed some new weapon. Why was I not informed?"

Park spoke.

"Sir, it is difficult to predict the movements of the Alesians. Their people are unpredictable. Although their plans are straightforward, but they always like to spring surprises on their enemies. This must be one of them. I recommend ordering our forces on alert."

Gershaw nodded.

"You only bombard an enemy in preparation for an attack. Ready what is left. I will push what reserves we have forward. Lieutenant, you have your orders. General Park, come!"

Gershaw drew his pistol and walked out of the bunker into the smoldering ruins of the front line. Park followed with his own pistol out, trying to rally the remnants of the clone units that were lucky enough to have dug in. Gershaw looked toward the horizon and saw white armored shapes in the distance and snarled at what could only be Alesians in a battle run.

"All units, repel attack! Fight to the death! No one retreats! Reserves to the front!"

Gershaw watched as the clones ran to their heavy weapons and began to fire at the massed Alesian attack with their heavy weapons, the streak of explosive rounds began to pepper the Alesian units, the shields flaring as several Alesians began to fall from the defensive firepower. Loud thuds were heard as the cold, dark shapes of Alesian Predator walkers crested the hill, having traveled ahead of the Alesian infantry as red beams began to fire from the war walkers, impacting clone vehicles and tanks. The surviving tanks began to fire back, the heavy rounds impacting the shields of some of the walkers. A few of the walkers were destroyed in a mess of machinery and gore, but Gershaw knew that the odds of repelling the assault was against him.

"All forces pull back to defensive position 2! Activate mines and demolition charges! Reserve units, open fire when they close in, we will make them pay dearly for taking the first line! We will..."

A massed screeching was heard from above as the eyes of the general looked above him, stopped in mid-sentence.

"Phoenix Legionnaires! Repel them! Assault Elites, kill them!"

The cry of eagles was heard as the white armored figures flew down from the sky, the blue jets slowing the descent of the Phoenix Legionnaires as the 9 foot tall figures smashed into the ground. The Phoenix Legionnaires began to move quickly, some using their jets to skirt and strafe the tanks at ground level, flying low and swiftly with their shoulder mounted drone launchers. General Park snarled as he raised his pistol, the rounds impacting the shield of the nearest Phoenix Legionnaire, which was busy blasting away at a clone unit with plasma blasters, tearing up the platoon quickly as the minigun blasters made short work of the clones. Park growled as he knelt and picked up a tube from the hands of a dead clone.

* * *

The newly-promoted Legate Cestus was busy killing the clone platoon that was firing at him. He loved the new suit of armor, the mark 3 Phoenix unit was much better than the mark 1's used earlier in the war. A voice spoke over the vox.

"Legate! You got a Tok'ra general aiming an anti-armor weapon at you! Right side, 315 degrees! 100 yards!"

Cestus moved quickly, his arm weapons cycling quickly as he selected the weapon he wanted. He saw the black-uniformed general and raised his arm.

"I see him. Neutralizing."

Jets of blue flame flashed across the distance, the plasma flamer dousing the Tok'ra general with fire as hot as the sun. Park screamed for a few moments as he was incinerated, disintegrating a few seconds later from the intense heat. Cestus spoke.

"Neutralized. Move forward! Tank approaching! Yalara! Left side, 40 degrees! Cook the bastards!"

The female voice replied smoothly.

"Coming in. Hello boys..."

The Tok'ra tank pointed the gun upward, but it was too late as the Phoenix Legionnaire smashed into the tank from above, the feet smashing in the turret with terrific force. Yalara reached down with her armored hand, the machine whirring slightly as her power armor worked. The tank hatch came off easily as she ripped it off and pointed the plasma flamer down into it. Screaming was heard inside as she doused the insides of the tank with plasma, flying off the ruins of the Tok'ra tank to search for more targets. Cestus spoke, his voice giving harsh commands as his suit whirred, stomping forward as he killed yet another squad of clones.

"Damn the clones. They swarm like rats. Command squad, press and clear to the shield generator."

A voice spoke over the headset.

"Squad proceeding to the shield generator. Alesian bridgehead secured in the line."

Cheers were heard over the vox unit. Cestus grinned and gave a shout of triumph.

"The battle belongs to the Alesians!"

* * *

Gershaw was shouting orders into his comm unit, trying to get some organization out of the chaos the Phoenix Legionnaires have inflicted on his army. He shouted into the comm unit urgently.

"Begin retreat! Fall back!"

Gershaw ran quickly from where he was, running underneath the metallic legs of an Alesian walker as it focused on another Tok'ra vehicle, the red beam from it's main cannon blowing it up with almost contemptuous ease. He ran with the few remaining clones away from the flood of Alesian Legionnaires following the walkers. The retreat was quickly becoming a rout as the clones cast away their weapons and ran. The Alesian walkers fired shockwave blasts at the retreating clones, but were only able to kill a few as they stomped forward. Suddenly a hundred red beams flared from the Predators as they targeted a structure in the distance, the beams easily making short work of the shield complex. Gershaw gritted his teeth as he ran away with the last survivors of his broken army, knowing the shield was down.

* * *

Legate Cestus grinned at he watched the shield generators explode from the concentrated fire of the Predators. It was good to see the enemy run away, watching them disappear over the hills in the distance.

"Excellent work. Legionnaires, halt pursuit. Retreat from the line. General Galen? Sir, the enemy is on the run, routed. The shield generator is down! You may commence orbital bombardment. Target coordinates 17, 38, 79 by 10, 13, 12."

A reply came over clearly.

"Well done, Legate. Stand by! Danger close! Move your ass away!"

Cestus ordered his men to get as far away from the Tok'ra as possible, the Alesian ships in orbit began to beam away the remaining Legionnaires as missiles streamed down from the Alesian battleships in orbit. Cestus grinned as he saw flashes in the distance, just as he was beamed up to the bridge of the command ship. He knew the enemy would not survive the orbital bombardment. He was surprised to find General Galen waiting for him on the bridge, surrounded by his command squad.

"Legate Cestus, you have performed beyond my expectations. Witness your handiwork."

Galen gestured to the observation window as Cestus looked outward, watching the antimatter nukes streaming toward the planet swirling beneath the warships of the Alesian Empire. Blue beams and bolts shot out from the fleet, pulverizing the region below in the localized bombardment with a cleansing storm of fire. Galen sneered as he watched the section of the planet the Tok'ra were on burn. His eyes glared in hatred. It was obvious the Alesian was seething.

"We will cleanse the universe of the Tok'ra taint that has infected it! They have made war on us and brought it on themselves. For this...we will grind them into dust and scatter their ashes to the stars. The Alesian Empire will stand triumphant over her enemies and reign for a hundred thousand years if not longer. We will make the descendants of our enemies cry out in terror at the mere mention of Alesia. This is the fate of enemies of the Empire. They make war on us, kill our civilians, and ravage our worlds. We will _fucking_ exterminate anything that tries to do the same to our people ever again. No retreat and no surrender. I will personally shoot anyone that shows pity to them."

Galen turned and nodded toward Cestus.

"You will prepare your Legion, Legate. We have taken this world back in the name of the Alesian Empire. They are free of the Tok'ra oppression. We are one step closer to finishing off the Tok'ra for good. With luck, we will be on the offensive in a few months after we destroy what is left of the Tok'ra. No one will stand in our way. You get me, Legate?"

Legate Cestus snarled in fury. His shout echoed throughout the bridge.

"Yes sir! We will smash the bastards until every last single one of them are dead! They invaded our empire, killed our citizens. Give me enough support, and I will kill them all! Ave Imperium!"

Galen smiled.

"Good. We will all get our support. Destroy them all. We have detected a Tok'ra fleet inbound to try to relieve their garrison. We will let them walk into a trap. I am afraid their friends will be quite dead when they get here."

The grin from Legate Cestus was positively vicious.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Outer Region / Jia Sector / Jia VII  
**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

**Day 301 - 01:01:03**

The system turned peacefully, having been taken by Alesian forces a few weeks ago. A swirling vortex of energy appeared near the 7th planet, 7 shapes emerging from the swirling energies of the hyperspace window. 5 Alesian cruisers and 2 battleships flew in formation as the eddy subsided. Legate Renate stood on the bridge of the Angelan-class destroyer AES Valkyrie**, **proudly looking at the fleet of the veteran Valkyrie Legion. She turned to Commander Valana.

"Status of the fleet?"

The blond haired woman smiled.

"The fleet reports ready. All scans consistent with previous scans. Tok'ra fleet fighting with an Alesian fleet on the other side of the system. 35 Tok'ra ships battleship class and above, with several dozen gunships and escorts. 55 Alesian ships engaged. Shall we assist?"

Renate nodded her head as she looked at Amann and ChiYou standing beside her.

"Yes, I believe we should. It is up to the High Councilor and Lord ChiYou."

ChiYou nodded thoughtfully.

"It would look suspicious if you did not fight, and you need to get me and Amann near General Galen's flagship. Beaming is out of the question, there will be jammers up and shields. Means we have to fly to the other ship, and that will be ugly. Councilor?"

Amann sighed.

"Yes. We must get to General Galen and help him win this battle. After this battle is finished, we can then convince him to join our side, a simple transmission will not do. By going to him in person, we can demonstrate our bravery and earn his respect. I doubt people still respect me, so I must earn it back. We need as many Alesian forces under our banner if we are to defeat Janilius. I have sent messages to people I trust."

Chiyou looked toward the two Alesians.

"And in order to prepare for the likely Ori invasion, I must warn my people and prepare them for the real threat. We have to build up again and escape the death trap the Alesian Empire has become and to spare further devastation to your Empire and my people. Only together can we defeat the Ori."

Amann sighed.

"Yes. Now Renate...you may send your fleet into the battle. Get us as close as you can and then help the remaining Alesian forces win this battle."

Renate placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You do realize this is a suicide mission, Amann? You are likely to die."

Amann looked back at her, his brown eyes locking with her green eyes.

"I appreciate the concern, my old friend. But I have no intention to die. Not yet. I will not die, because I am determined and my cause is just."

Renate sighed.

"The universe is uncaring about our cause, good people die and bad people live. There is no justice in the universe, only survival. You are as vulnerable to death as anyone, Amann."

Amann blinked at her.

"Do you really believe that? I cannot believe it such a philosophy myself. The universe is cruel, but I must believe in a higher cause. I must put faith in something other than myself. The Empire was founded on that principle. I will not abandon it. I must forge the great path by stepping into the wilderness so others can follow. Trust in me, Renate."

Amann walked away from Renate as he headed toward the fighter bay, his mind deep in thoughts. A voice spoke behind him.

"You know, Amann. She is right."

Amann snorted.

"Yeah right, Galadriel. Like I am going to..."

He stopped and turned around to observe a dark haired Legionnaire heading toward him.

"Galadriel? You...look different."

Galadriel smiled as she disengaged her holo disguise. Her form shimmered to reveal the golden haired woman that Amann was familiar with.

"Do I? Well, you do not."

Amann walked slowly toward Galadriel with tears in his eyes as he embraced his twin sister. Galadriel hugged her brother fiercely. Finally, they broke apart.

"Well brother, it has indeed been a long time. I wish I could have contacted you sooner, but I feared that there was an enemy that had infiltrated our people. I was right."

Amann nodded.

"Yes, and now we stand against the night. We were tricked and deceived. No more. Now we surge forward and take back what is ours."

A voice spoke nearby.

"Well, I'd hate to break this party up, but shouldn't we get going?"

ChiYou was standing there in his blood red scale armor. He had a look of amusement on his face. Galadriel turned to face him.

"Well, it is a good thing you brought ChiYou along, Amann. I can't always be around to look after you."

ChiYou smirked.

"True enough, Lady Adar. Stunning as ever, of course."

Galadriel gave a small laugh.

"See, why can't you be more like him, brother?"

Amann grumbled under his breath as the trio walked along. Galadriel spoke after a moment.

"So brother, are all three of us going on the Jumper?"

Amann shook his head.

"No. I want you to deliver a message in person and return with the recipient. You see, I want you to contact General Hiei and bring him to me."

Galadriel stopped in her tracks.

"What? Hiei? He is alive?"

"Yes."

Galadriel gave her brother a look of surprise and anger.

"What? I sentenced him to die!"

Amann spoke hurriedly.

"Now now sister...this is not the time to..."

Galadriel swung and hit her brother across the head with her fist. Amann stumbled and fell against the wall.

"Ow, what the hell?"

He flinched away as her normally gentle voice, now boiling with rage, echoed throughout the corridor.

"I SENTENCED THAT GENOCIDAL MANIAC TO DEATH AND YOU SAVED HIM? WHY?"

Amann rubbed his temple where her fist impacted his head. His own voice sounded quiet and weak.

"Well...um..."

Galadriel gave her brother an evil look. Amann spoke quickly, the words coming out in a rush.

"He was a friend and he could still serve the Empire and we could use a man with his talents as long as we had a tight leash on him and please don't hit me again!"

Amann cringed as Galadriel raised her hand again. She almost laughed at him looking apprehensive, but she was still angry at him.

"Just shut up, brother. So you want me to deliver a message to General Hiei? Where did you hide him?"

Amann outlined the exact location, giving the location in the Void where Hiei's base of Legionnaires was located.

"It is cloaked and floating on a big asteriod between Pegasus and Avalon. Try not to kill him, sister. I know you are mad at me and him, but he did redeem much of his evil actions by his subsequent service. Just tell him to bring his men and return with him to me. I need all of the forces I can get."

Galadriel nodded.

"This isn't over. To be honest, I think I should hit you a few more times. But I'll do it later. I will go there and retrieve Hiei. Then what do you want me to do?"

Amann paused.

"Bring Hiei back and then we will have to see General Ayen."

"Very well."

Amann and ChiYou walked away from Galadriel, their boots echoing in stride as they headed toward one of the Jumpers. ChiYou looked toward Amann.

"Your sister is scary when she is pissed off. I don't blame you for being terrified."

Amann snorted.

"I'm not scared of her."

"Really? I guess I imagined that look of terror."

Amann grumbled again.

"Stow it, ChiYou. Let's just...fly the jumper and get to Galen."

ChiYou chuckled as the two men entered the jumper and shut the door. Amann sat in the pilot seat and activated the engines. Renate's voice spoke over the comm channel.

"Amann, we are fairly close to Galen's ship. I have inputted the coordinates in your computer. I will watch you from here. Try not to die. It looks bad on my report."

Amann rolled his eyes.

"Next you are going to tell me to drink my milk and don't run with scissors."

Renate's reply was full of amusement.

"Well, I credit you more than Galadriel does. Safe trip, Amann."

The line went dead as Amann flew the jumper out into the maelstrom of battle. ChiYou winced as the jumper narrowly dodged a missile barrage.

"I think Renate was right, this is a suicide mission."

Amann growled.

"Shut up and man the secondary systems and weapons. I'm flying this thing."

Amann piloted the jumper between engaging fighters as they dogfighted with each other, missiles and drones colliding with fighter shields as the Jumper weaved through the swarm. The Jumper shuddered as a missile hit the shield of the jumper.

"ChiYou!"

"Hey, it is hard enough trying to shoot at the fighters! Leave me be."

Amann growled as they began to fly into the cloud of battleships engaging each other, flares of light flew between the opposing fleets as the space was filled with weapons fire. Drones and missiles streaked everywhere in their swarms as storms of ion cannon and beam fire blew apart the warships in the furious battle. Amann gritted his teeth as two Tok'ra fighters locked onto his Jumper. He rolled the Jumper away from the streams of missiles that were following the jumper, heading toward an Alesian Angelan class ship. ChiYou's eyes widened.

"What in the name of Sokar are you doing?"

"Skimming."

ChiYou groaned.

"Oh no. You aren't doing what I think you are..."

"Yes I am! Hold on!"

The Jumper swerved away from the Alesian destroyer, flying at maximum velocity along the surface of the Alesian shield. Missiles impacted all around the shield, but the shield was confusing the seekers on the warheads. Amann flew through the explosions as more missiles exploded around the jumper, narrowing missing the point defense lasers firing at the fighters trying to close in.

"It's working! The missiles can't lock on!"

ChiYou growled at Amann.

"Damn it! I didn't not survive that hell of a planet to die like this! You better do this right!"

"Hush!"

"Those two fighters are still pursuing! And they are closing!"

"I worked that out for myself, funnily enough!"

The jumper cleared the front end of the Angelan destroyer, heading between a Tok'ra and an Alesian ship as the two big battleships exchanged blows. Fire was ravaging the Tok'ra ship as it burned, the Alesian ship mercilessly blowing apart what was left. Amann flew through the debris field as more missiles were launched at them. Amann grinned as the missiles struck the debris, missing the jumper as ChiYou fired back the last remaining drones.

"Amann! You are one crazy son of a...!"

"Female dog?"

ChiYou went silent as Amann flew toward another ship duking it out with a Tok'ra dreadnought.

"That is Galen's ship directly ahead! AES _Death Blade_, this is Valkyrie Jumper Two-One requesting landing! We are coming in hot. Open hole in shield!"

The reply was crisp.

"Very well, Jumper Two-One. Keep in mind the shield will be only open a few seconds. We are not risking the ship to keep it open. Death Blade out!"

Amann flew the jumper in as the two Tok'ra fighters pursued close behind, firing more missiles at the Jumper. Amann grimaced as the missiles impacted the jumper's shield. ChiYou tapped the console furiously to reroute power.

"Shields are failing! We can't take much more of this!"

"Just hold it for a few seconds! If we ca..."

"Shields down!"

"Damn it, ChiYou!"

"Sorry."

Amann growled as one of the engines of the jumper exploded from a missile, sending the Jumper careening out of control. He struggled to keep the craft straight as he flew toward the ship that was growing larger in the cockpit window.

"Oh crap...we are gonna crash. Hold on ChiYou!"

The jumper buckled and shuddered, the other engine screaming in protest as sparks flew from the console from the power overload. Alerts were screaming throughout the jumper as Amann tried to keep the craft aimed for the now-visible fighter bay. Amann watched as a small hole opened in the shield. He gave a shout of triumph as he flew through the shield in the fighter bay, the shield immediately closing behind him. The two pursuing Tok'ra fighters were unable to pull up in time as they smashed into the shield, exploding upon contact. Amann winced as the jumper crashed into the floor of the fighter bay, bouncing off the floor before coming down to slide along the width of the massive open space. Finally, it crashed into the opposite wall, the back half of the jumper crumbling like a beer can as Amann and Chiyou slammed into the console with terrific force.

* * *

_On the ship's bridge..._

General Galen was busy giving orders to the bridge crew. One of them looked up and reported.

"Sir, Valkyrie two-one is in the bay! It crashed!"

He gave orders quickly.

"Medical team to fighter bay! Stabilize any survivors and put them in the infirmary."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

The Jumper was dark, save for the occasional spark from the console. The window outside was cracked, with light filtering in from the bay. Amann groaned as he raised his head up from the console. It was a few seconds before he felt something drip down his forehead. Amann put a hand to his head pulled it back. He saw it was covered with blood. He got up, rather unsteadily and shook the unconscious ChiYou.

"Hey, we made it."

ChiYou mumbled something incoherently. Amann sighed.

"Hang in there...I am sure help is on the way."

He sat down to rub his head, trying to heal the damage to his skull with his healing powers. He noticed shapes moving outside as Alesian Legionnaires lined up and tried to pry the window open. One of the Centurions looked inside and saw both of the men inside.

"What the...Councilor? ChiYou? What the hell is this?"

Amann grimaced.

"A legitimate question. One that will be answered. Beam us to the infirmary and summon General Galen. I am here to see him."

The Centurion hesitated. Amann looked at the young soldier.

"Do what I say! I am still a High Councilor, since I was never removed. I am alive, I am here, and I come with the blessing of the rest of the High Council!"

The Centurion nodded as he gave orders. Healing devices were brought out as ChiYou was stabilized with Amann's help. The two men were beamed into the ship's infirmary as Healers poured over them. Amann looked around as his wound was being tended to. Legionnaires and militia were spread out in the crowded ship, the casualties of the battle were beginning to pour in. Amann watched as General Galen walked in, his scarred face reflecting anger as he strode over to the Alesian Councilor.

"Councilor, you have some nerve flying onto my ship! Renate never told me it was you coming to see me and you bring ChiYou onto my ship. The leader of our enemy!"

Amann stood up and faced down the angered Alesian.

"Calm, General. I have things to tell you and show you before I can explain. If you will give me a few minutes of your time, it will be explained."

Galen crossed his arms and listened as Amann explained the events of the past few weeks to him. Images and memories played in his head as Amann showed the battle-hardened general the truth of what he knew. Finally, Amann finished up the tale as Galen stared at Amann with something akin to shock.

"So let me get this straight...this war was all a trick to weaken the both of us for an invasion from the Ori? And you want me to let the Tok'ra go home? To allow the remaining Tok'ra armies to slip through our blockade and eventual defeat at our hands? Do I have this correct so far?"

Amann nodded.

"It is imperative that you let the Tok'ra leave. ChiYou intends to tell the Tok'ra what I have told you. We must work together or be destroyed. We were played for fools, but we know the truth now. Janilius is the real enemy, and I carry the blessing of the rest of the High Council. They are alive, and they stand with me. Galadriel is on the _Valkyrie_ right now, but she is leaving to get reinforcements for our coup against Janilius. We must fight for our Empire once more, and purge the enemy within."

Galen sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily.

"It is never simple...very well. I will do this, even if I think this is insane."

Amann gave a polite nod and smile.

"Thank you, General. Your loyalty will not go unnoticed. I also want you to arrange for a meeting with General Ayen as well. I must speak with him."

"It will be done, Councilor."


	50. In Motion

**Author Notes:**

**I am back from my European vacation. I was gone 7 weeks. Now I will update as regularly as I can with Golden Dawn. Hopefully I can do a chapter every week or two. About 20 more chapters to go until Golden Dawn is complete. Then I will try to finish Addition and rewrite War of Gods and Men.**

**Please rate and review. I also wish to return to the first 15-20 chapters of this story and clean them up and make it alot better than it was. I have revised up to chapter 5, and earlier chapters will definately get rewritten.**

**I wish to thank all of the fans of this story. You make it worth writing. Even to those that had negative things to say, you helped make it better with your criticism. Thank you.**

**-Amann0407-  
**

* * *

**Bleak Twilight**

**Chapter 50: In Motion**

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Outer Region / Jia Sector / Jia VII**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

**Day 302 - 12:13:09**

On board the AES _Death Blade_, General Galen was sitting at the table in the observation deck. He stared out the window at the blocky profiles of the powerful Alesian warships, his mind lost in his thoughts. A voice spoke from behind him.

"So peaceful, isn't it General?"

Galen turned to look, seeing Amann standing in the door of the small room. The Alesian High Councilor walked over and pulled up a chair, sitting next to the general.

"What is on your mind, General Galen?"

"Well sir, I wonder if what I am doing is right. I am not sure of it. I did as you asked, but you still committed war crimes, Councilor. Technically, you are still answerable for them." Galen said plainly. Amann watched the battle-scarred general for a moment before nodding.

"Yes. Yes I am. But, I will stand trial on Alesia for my crimes when all of this is over. You have my word, General." Amann placed his hand on Galen's shoulder as he continued to speak.

"I promise you, I only wish to see our people get rid of that Ori traitor, and once more claim greatness again. I am on the Council still, and the rest of the High Council is gathering once more. Galadriel left already to summon General Hiei, and the other two council members will be here within a day or so." Amann gestured to the blackness of space.

"You see that, General? Out there, the entire Empire is at war. Without clear leadership that is dedicated to Alesian survival and greatness, we will fall. I did not come this far to fail. ChiYou has left the ship as well, to gather what remains of the Tok'ra. You know what must be done?"

Galen nodded as he replied. "Yes, I must open my section of the blockade and let the remains of the Tok'ra armies go home. We need everyone to recover and re-arm. We have peace in the Empire for now, but there will be another civil war. One we must win. It will not be easy."

"No, no it will not." Amann sighed as he stood up and began to walk out.

"Come, General. We must prepare. I wish to also address your troops. We will land where your main base is, and I will speak to them."

Galen nodded as he followed the Alesian leader.

* * *

**The Void**

**Alesian Empire: Void Region / Void Sector / Death's Hand Base**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

**Day 0 - 12:13:09**

Galadriel concentrated as she flew the jumper to the coordinates that Amann gave before she left the ship. She was a bit apprehensive about the mission to say the least. General Hiei was a war criminal that she convicted, a genocidal maniac that killed an entire world of Jaffa because he thought that any threat to the Empire should be exterminated. When he gave the order to purge the world to a Legion, the Legate had balked and refused the order. Hiei had pulled out his pistol and simply executed the Legate on the spot for refusing orders and repeated his order to the commanders, who proceeded to carry it out. It was an understatement to say she was worried about coming face to face with him again.

"Jumper Valkyrie One-Five to Death's Hand Base. Authorization code Ten-Break-Alpha. Request permission to land." Galadriel said as she looked out at the apparently empty space.

A pause was heard over the radio before a reply was given.

"Permission granted." Galadriel raised her eyebrows as a shimmering was seen ahead of her, revealing an asteroid with a fighter bay gleaming out of the side of it. She flew toward it, finally landing in the fighter bay as legionnaires ran out, surrounding the jumper.

Galadriel got up and opened the door. She walked down the ramp of the jumper as a Death Hand legionnaire accosted her.

"Who are you? Identify yourself!" The Death's Hand legionnaire sneered at her. Galadriel drew herself up to her full height and stared at the legionnaire with contempt.

"I am High Councilor Galadriel Adar. I am here on Councilor Amann Adar's authority, as well as my own." She added as an afterthought. '_As if I need any authority but my own_' She thought with a laugh.

"And who might you be?" She asked pointedly. The legionnaire's sneer faded as her eyes met his. This was no one to be trifled with.

"I am….Centurion Valas." Galadriel raised her arm and pointed at him.

"Well, Centurion Valas, since I appear to outrank you, you will take me to General Hiei. At once!" Her voice echoed loudly through the fighter bay as she gestured for Valas to lead on.

She followed the legionnaire as he walked through the narrow, dimly lit corridors, with many of the men standing aside for the pair. While some of the men she came across were highly trained, others seemed to be little more than criminals. Galadriel remained calm, but the looks she was getting scared her. It felt like they were sizing her up, looking how best to kill, rob, or rape her, and not necessarily in that order. She was horrified. What kind of military unit accepted these kind of people? Finally, Valas paused outside a door and gestured.

"General Hiei is in there." He looked uncertain, scared even. Galadriel waved her hand at him.

"You may go. Dismissed." The legionnaire looked relieved and walked off quickly as Galadriel opened the door to find the training room a scene of carnage. A dozen men were lying dead on the floor in pools of their own blood. The cause was in the center of the room, dueling the last two combatants with swords. The two men tried to rush Hiei with a yell, but he merely sneered as he slashed one across the stomach and decapitated the other one in the blink of an eye. The wounded one stumbled, trying to get away as Hiei killed him with a stab into the heart. The Alesian General sneered in disgust as he walked over to the wall panel and hit the comm button.

"This is General Hiei. I am done. Dispose of this trash." Hiei disconnected the button before a reply could be given and turned to face Galadriel. His eyes narrowed as he looked her up and down.

"Well, Galadriel. Nice to see you again. The last time we met, I think you sentenced me to death, did you not?" He grinned ferally at her. Galadriel was not amused.

'Yes I did, and if it wasn't for my brother's trickery, I would have put you in the hole you belong in. But I have neither the time or the energy to waste. Alesia, as much as I hate to say it, needs your services once more. Amann has sent me here to bring you back to him, and to prepare your combat units to enter the war overtly. Your shadow ops will do what they do best." Galadriel said frostily. Hiei shrugged and wiped the blade on the clothing of one of the men he killed.

"Was killing these men necessary?" Galadriel regarded him with a wary eye.

"Yes, yes it was. These men were criminals that were rejected from my Legion. Your brother sends me all sorts of men, some highly trained soldiers, and others are disposable criminals or criminals with unique skills that are of use to me. But not all of the penal colony citizens he sends me are useful, so I use them as target practice for me and my men. If Amann sent me more criminals that can be actually useful, I wouldn't need to kill them to maintain secrecy. You should thank me, I only killed some criminals that won't be missed." Hiei said with a sneer.

"You see, Galadriel, sometimes disposable criminals are useful, since we can make assassinations look like the work of criminal elements, and not anything to do with us. After we mindwipe them of course. We work outside of the system, to protect the system. Other criminals are good at killing and sneaking into places where they do not belong, and are of use. And of course we have our death squads and special forces soldiers. Quite a potent mix of men I have at my disposal." Hiei turned suddenly away and bellowed down the hall.

"You men! Clean this trash up now or I swear on the Ascended you will be next to be disposed of!" His eyes turned red with rage as the men hurried past them, scared of their own general. Hiei gave a 'hmph' as he walked off, gesturing Galadriel to follow him to the fighter bay. He started giving orders immediately as they walked along. Finally, Galadriel asked him after a moment's contemplation.

"How many men do you have exactly?" Hiei seemed to think that one over.

"I don't have an exact count. I have cells operating on most important worlds, and I have training camps on a few empty worlds no one knows about. I have enough combat ready men to field a legion, and I have far more spies and assassins. The 7th Legion does not adhere to standard legion organization, even if we have the men for it. We have far more people than what a legion usually has." Hiei said as he entered the jumper bay with Galadriel at his heels. A Legionnaire stood next to the jumper, holding a set of armor and robes for Hiei.

"I've put your equipment and bags in the jumper, General. Your request of extra grenades and weapons are also in there too." Hiei gave a nod to his aide.

"Thank you, Commander. You know what to do. Get the combat units spun up and ready. I will inform you when we have transportation able to carry our forces to the fleet." The legionnaire saluted and strode off. Galadriel bent her head and walked into the jumper, stepping over the various bags and equipment Hiei stored all over the craft. She closed the door as Hiei's voice called out.

"Fly out of the base and do not look behind you! I am going to change into a proper uniform. For this I better get my honor and my title back!" Galadriel sighed as she piloted the jumper and flew away from the asteroid base. Why did she have to get stuck doing this?

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Berian IV**

**Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 10**

**Day 0 - 14:57:19**

On the surface of the world, Amann was readying his armor in a tent. He adjusted the fur cape, made of wolves that he had killed. Two wolf heads adorned the cape, one on each shoulder. He turned to the other person in the tent.

"How do I look?" Amann asked Legate Renate.

"Spectacular. Lordly. You look like a high councilor." Renate said with a smile.

"Well, I have to give some sort of image. I usually like to dress a lot like a normal Alesian, but I cannot afford to be humble looking today. The people need a leader, and I have to portray an icon, even if I do not like it." Amann sighed and gestured to the podium waiting for him outside.

"Shall we go?"

"Yes, but I have two companies from my Legion that will be your bodyguards. Half of Berian is out there, as well as a huge number of Legionnaires. Your safety is paramount."

Amann gave a nod to her and raised a hand to part the flap of the tent, walking outside and up the stairs of the wooden platform. The sight he saw took his breath away. The plains of Berian were usually empty and completely open, but that was not the case today. People crowded in as far as the eye could see, some sitting on the gentle rolling hills nearby, while still others were trying to crowd the columns of the one hundred thousand legionnaires standing in formation. The murmur of the crowd talking to each other was like an ocean of noise. The mass of people stretched to the horizon and beyond. Amann swallowed a bit nervously. He had addressed crowds of this size before, but never in his precarious position. For the first time, he addressed a crowd with his life and his people hanging in the balance based on how well he persuaded them. The sun was beginning to set, giving the plains of Berian a golden sheen. The crowd had caught sight of him and hushed immediately. '_Show time_' Amann thought nervously as he walked to the podium and began to speak, his voice amplified by the comm unit in his armor.

"Greetings. I am Amann Adar, High Councilor of the Alesian Empire. I use that title, because I never lost it. To lose it, I would have had to have it stripped away by the Lower Council. Most of you know _what_ I am, have seen me on official broadcasts and giving speeches. But most of you do not know _who_ I am." Amann began pacing as he spoke.

"You likely learned about me when you were in school, learning the history of our people. But it doesn't tell you who I am. I had dreams like most of you do, ambitions like anyone else. I had dreams of our people being led into greatness again. We would be guides to humans and other species, forging a glorious future for everyone. I had personal ambitions of course, legacies to think about. I wanted my name in history, just like most people would. I admit it is a personal weakness of mine. But my overriding ideal was to forge a prosperous and bright future." Amann stopped and looked at the assembled crowd.

"The rumors that have going around in the Empire have led to negative opinions of me. Some of the rumors include that I killed my wife, entire worlds, and the Lower Council of Alesia to solidify my power. I am normally a private individual, but I cannot afford to be any longer. I will reveal the whole truth. No lies or deceptions. The rumor that I killed Lucia Adar, my wife…." He stopped for a moment, taking in a deep breath.

"I want you to think about your spouses and your family. Think on how much you love them, and then ask yourself if you could kill them. The answer I would hope is no. The same as mine. I…..could never kill her." Amann stared out at the crowd, his face reflecting the loss he had felt all those months.

"I loved her with every fiber of my being. I loved her more than anything else in the universe. I loved her more than the sun or the moons, the day or night, all of those poetic things that people write about, which doesn't matter in a setting where she is dead. She was everything to me, the one that kept me happy and sane in the darkest of times. She made me a better man than I believed I was capable of becoming. Without her, I was nothing. How could I kill her?" Amann said bitterly to the silent crowd.

"Because of her death, I lost my mind. I went insane, making terrible mistakes that should never have happened. I committed terrible crimes, isolating my allies and friends from me when I needed them the most. My worst mistake was giving the Omega order that killed the population of Kauri and sparking the Alesian-Tok'ra war. I accept full responsibility for my actions. I was tricked and manipulated into it by Janilius, who is an agent of the Ori. He wants to weaken us for the Ori invasion, which is coming. I learned the truth of this while I was on the Ascended plane. He also killed the Lower Council while I was stuck on the Ascended Plane as well. I was tricked and manipulated into it, but that is still no excuse for my actions. I still did it." Amann said without any more pretenses. He felt like a great weight was coming off his shoulders as he spoke. The crowd watched impassively, unsure what to make of it.

"But I saw the truth. I know what I must do. I have made peace with Chiyou. He committed great crimes against the Alesian Empire too, but he would have done what many of us would have done in a fit of rage and hatred. If someone killed billions of your own people, you would do your best to kill the people you think are responsible. When I confronted and told Chiyou the truth, he felt guilt and horror at what he had done. I saw it in his mind. We made peace with the other for the greater good of what must be done. The Ori are the true threat, and everyone must stand together or we will surely perish." The Alesian High Councilor began to pace back and forth again.

"Today is a new day for us, a day of truths revealed. The path is clear. The rest of the Alesian High Council is alive as well, and they are gathering with the fleet under General Galen at this very moment. They will transmit speeches as well to the rest of the Empire, denouncing Janilius, or rather his true name, Janus. They also are with me. Galadriel is alive and well too, on a mission for me. But we need your help, to reclaim our government from a traitor and a deceiver. We need your help for our effort. The civilians, the Legionnaires, the Militia, everyone will be needed. Without you, our efforts will fail."

"From this moment forward, there will be no more deceptions or trickery. There will be no mistakes this time. There will be no one to deny me my rightful place in the Empire. Swear your loyalties to me, and to the rightful government of the Alesian Empire, and I shall earn your respect and be worthy of your devotion once more. I do not deny my past actions were evil. They were also my mistakes, deceived and betrayed. But I suffer for those actions, and I am willing to stand trial after we win against Janilius and assure the safety of my people. You have my word." Amann stopped at that point and watched the silent crowd. He sighed and wiped the sweat off his brow, pushing aside the bangs that framed his face.

The crowd suddenly surged forward with a cry, surprising Amann and the line of bodyguards that Renate had assigned to him. The bodyguards were confused, demanding orders in their headsets as they were pushed aside by the combination of legionnaires and civilians as they swarmed the platform. Amann was suddenly surrounded by people and dragged off of the platform. For a terrible moment, he thought he was getting lynched as he was carried off and lifted on the shoulders of people. Slowly, he realized the crowd was shouting something over and over again.

"Long live Amann Adar! Hail to the Empire! Amann! Amann! Amann!"

Renate watched from the sidelines as Amann was carried off with cheers. A smile crossed her face as she turned to the blond haired commander next to her.

"Well, Amann won the crowd. I think it is time to do our part, Commander Valana. Now we must win the war, since not everyone will believe him. We will broadcast it throughout the Empire for all to hear. If we sway enough people, the war will be a lot easier to win. Come. I think Amann will be safe in the hands of the people."

Renate smiled as both women walked off. There was plenty of planning to do.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Outer Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Padrasis Sector / Padras III**

**Alesian-Tok'ra War: CONCLUDED**

**Day 200 - 01:47:01**

The shapes of dozens of Tok'ra ships gathered together, having packed up all of the clone units and equipment on this world. One of the ships received the ready signals from the other gathered Tok'ra fleets. It was time. The flagship sent a signal deep into Alesian-held territory and waited patiently, their sensors fully operational. The return signal came within a few moments as the hyperspace barrier shield dropped, allowing the Tok'ra free passage. With several flashes, hyperspace windows began to open as all of the Tok'ra fleets everywhere in the Alesian Empire began to shoot through the gap that General Galen provided. The Tok'ra were going home to prepare for the upcoming invasion.

* * *

**Alteran Home Galaxy: Core Region**

**Ori Ascendency: Core Region / Celestis Sector / Celestis IV**

**The Avalon Crusade**

The forest was dark, tinged with shadows underneath the alien sky. A flash of fire appeared in the forest, condensing into the form of an oriental woman. Her eyes searched the forest warily. Suddenly another burst of fire appeared right in front of her as she watched. She greeted the new woman with a smile.

"Greetings dear sister. It has been too long. Report."

"They are beginning to mobilize. The ships are being built now. I saw them myself. I fear the crusade will begin, and soon. Within 60 days, I reckon."

"Then we must warn the Eagle Lord. You must seek him out and give him our warning that they are almost ready. Take this crystal, it has all of the intelligence I could gather safely." The woman handed over a small clear crystal.

"You know what is at stake, Silver Wolf."

"Yes. Yes I do. Take care, Black Wolf."

"The same goes with you. I must remain here."

Black Wolf watched as Silver Wolf flashed into fire and disappeared. She wished her the best of luck, for the Alesians will need all of the help they can get.


End file.
